


This Will Make You Love Again

by HelAuditore



Category: The Hobbit RPF
Genre: Abusive Relationship, Aidan is a massive dork, Alternate Universe, M/M, Sex, implied RichLee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-24
Updated: 2013-10-24
Packaged: 2017-12-27 12:55:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/979159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelAuditore/pseuds/HelAuditore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After getting a degree in Marine Biology and working for one year at the Melbourne Aquarium, Aidan comes back to his home in London to start out a new life. What he didn't expect was to actually (and probably inevitably) run into his past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO FRIENDS! I HAVE RETURNED WITH ANOTHER EXPERIMENT! I needed to do something different from writing about my beloved Mitchell and Anders, so I gave another chance to Aidan and Dean.
> 
> This was originally my friend [Mari](../users/Phelpshobbit)'s prompt, she asked for Aidan and Dean knowing each other when they were younger and then losing contacts for many years before they meet again.
> 
> I'm going to update the rating and the tags as I write. I assume this is going to be 3 chapters long, maybe I could add a small epilogue, but I'll see how it goes once everything is written down.

There was a thick layer of fog wrapped all around Heathrow and according to Aidan's mother it had been raining non-stop for the whole day, in London, but the thing was hardly surprising to the young man that was loading all his backpacks and bags into the metallic grey minivan with his father's aid.  
  
"It's so great to have you back, son!" Cillian clapped a big, rough hand on Aidan's shoulder once he had forced the last bag into the car.  
  
"So am I, da!" Aidan smiled brightly as he patted his father on the back "But I promise I'll get my own place soon," he added with a nod.  
  
"There's no rush, love! Just think about relaxing for a while!" his mother offered him an equally brilliant smile "I can't wait to spoil you rotten," she chuckled and looked down at the blue merle Border Collie sitting by Aidan's feet "And you too, of course!" Evelyn patted the dog's head before climbing into the passenger's seat.  
  
Aidan laughed and shook his head as he got into the van himself. He'd been missing from London for a couple years while he was studying Marine Biology in Australia, and his parents had visited him only during the holidays, so it was only natural that his mother would want to mollycoddle the life out of him. Aidan sighed contently when he finally relaxed into the backseat with Bailey half curled into his lap, he and his dog had traveled for more than 20 hours to get to London from Melbourne, and now that they were finally into Aidan's father's homey, soothing and comfortable car they couldn't help but fall asleep, lulled by the soft Beatles music playing in the background. 

Aidan didn't notice right away when the car stopped by the garden of the house, it was Bailey who woke him up by licking his face and whining. Once he was properly awake he'd slithered out of the car and tried to help Mr and Mrs Turner to unload his bags, but his mother had insisted that he just leave it to them and go upstairs to get some proper sleep in his bed. Aidan didn't put up much of a fight since he was seriously exhausted, so he gladly skipped inside the house with Bailey, and once he was in the hallway he couldn't help but just stand there for a short while, taking in everything. There was something magical about being into the house he grew up in after being in Australia for over two years, he sucked in a deep breath and released an equally big sigh as he broke into a dopey grin.  
  
"Home," he muttered to himself before he reached out a hand to run his fingertips over every surface he could find on his way to the staircase. He looked down at the way in which Bailey was sniffing all around the place and smirked "Definitely bigger than back in Melbourne, eh?" Aidan scratched behind her ear then jerked his head towards the top of the stairs "Let's go, love." Bailey wagged her tail happily and followed Aidan to his bedroom upstairs. 

The room had been left untouched, and even if he hadn't been missing for too long it felt like a lifetime. Aidan kicked off his shoes, removed his jeans and jacket, then dove face first onto his bed, squirming all around and hugging the pillow like a giggly child. Bailey barked and followed right behind, hopping on the bed and curling close to Aidan who laughed and pulled her into a hug “You like this bed already, huh?” he dropped a kiss on her head, making her whine and tip her muzzle up to lick his nose. “We're going to be more than just fine,” he sighed as he shuffled under the covers and drifted off into a deep sleep the moment he hit the pillow.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Aidan could swear to God that Bailey was the best live alarmclock in all existence, no matter the jet-lag, at 8 am she began to lick Aidan's face until he groaned back to life and pushed her head away “I'm awake, I'm awake!” he whined as he rubbed his face dry and blindly searched for his phone on the nightstand. “Right. Jacket,” he yawned and looked at the hyper Border Collie towering over him “You're peeing in the garden, I'm in no conditions to take you for a walk.” 

Aidan swung his leg lazily over the edge of the bed and grimaced when his feet came in contact with the cold floor, he definitely needed to put a rug there. He stood up, cracked his neck, popped his back and padded with heavy lidded eyes towards the door of his room, pushing it open and setting the _beast_ free to run downstairs. 

“You're awake, already?” Evelyn smiled at him with an armful of clean laundry “Oh, Richard called, he wanted to know if you're up for brunch with he and Lee.” 

Aidan rubbed at his tired eyes and blinked at her words “What?” 

Evelyn giggled and shook her head “Richard wants to know if you'd meet he and Lee for brunch, later.” she repeated again, this time slower. 

Aidan grimaced and flopped against the doorpost “Serious? I'm a freaking zombie, today.” 

“Come on, you know how busy they both are with work! Your cousin missed you so much, love.” Evelyn arched a brow, and in that moment Aidan knew that saying no wasn't an option. 

“Fine, but I'm going back to bed now,” he grumbled as he moved back into his room “Let Bailey in the garden, would you? And fill her bowls!” he hollered before slamming the door shut. 

Aidan didn't even wait for his mother to reply, but he did pick up his phone from the pocket of his discarded jacket to find a text from Richard. 

 _'Heard my little cousin is back home. How does brunch with me and Lee sound? Is 11 fine?'_  

Aidan wanted to cry the moment he read the number eleven on the screen of his Samsung, and nearly threw it against the wall. 

 _'You've got impeccable hearing, cuz. Guess 11:00 would be alright if only you picked me up. I was on a plane for nearly 21 hours yesterday.'_  

Aidan hit the send button as he flopped down onto his bed and moved under the covers, waiting for the reply. He obviously wasn't going to get out of bed until 10:45, no matter the answer he was going to get. Aidan didn't even have the chance to close his eyes when suddenly his phone vibrated against his chest. 

 _'Alright, princess. We'll pick you up, but only because we love you.'_  

Aidan couldn't help but smirk at the reply. He quickly typed up his own answer and sent it. 

 _'Will be waiting for a pair of queens, then. Laters.'_  

He didn't wait for Richard to text him back, this time, so he just set an alarm for 10:40 and went back to sleep.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Aidan felt like he had just shut his eyes when the alarm went off, making him growl and press his face into the soft pillow, in an attempt to put himself out of his misery. Then again he felt like suffocating to death wasn't the exact answer, so he just switched off the alarm and tumbled out of bed once again. Apparently his mother had moved one of his bags of clothes into his bedroom while he was out cold, so he had the chance to at least grab some clean clothes on his way to the bathroom.

  
At 11 o'clock, as punctual as a star, Richard and Lee rang the doorbell and stepped into the Turners' house to greet Cillian and Evelyn while Aidan was still locked in the bathroom with the toothbrush in his mouth.  
  
Aidan hurriedly finished brushing his teeth and groaned at the mane of dark, wild curls on his head (not even bothering to do anything about it), and quickly moved to the bedroom to grab his coat, wallet and cellphone. He could hear his family speak loudly downstairs, and Bailey was barking happily at the attentions she'd been getting, after all his cousin and cousin-in-law were both veterinarians and they were completely in love with the little brat.  
  
Aidan sucked in a deep breath, ran a hand through his messy hair and forced himself to skip down the stairs.  
  
"If it isn't our marvelous marine biologist!" Lee gestured towards Aidan with a bright smile that made his eyes crinkle.

"My baby cousin!" Richard spread out his arms "My God you just keep growing and growing, don't you?"  
  
Aidan's annoyance faded away the moment he saw the couple so happy to see him, he loved Richard and Lee, they had always been amazing to him and they were the kindest people Aidan had ever met.  
  
"I am! But in the meantime you're getting older and greyer!" Aidan grinned as he hugged his cousin tightly before switching to Lee and holding him just as tight.  
  
"We're still in our thirties, leave us be." Lee smirked as he pulled back.  
  
Aidan said both hi and bye to his parents and couldn't help but steal a slice of toast as he made his way to the front door with Richard and Lee, then crouched down to stroke Bailey's fur.  
  
"You be a good girl while daddy's out, yeah?" he grinned at her and she licked his lips in return.  
  
"Rich, he's worse than you are with Rusty," Lee commented with an eye roll as he got into their car. His husband was indeed a massive sap and mama bear with their two dogs and three cats, but Richard was particularly fond of their Irish Setter, Rusty who he treated like a proper daughter.  
  
"We happen to have a heart, unlike you." Richard smirked as he climbed into the driver's seat.  
  
Aidan sniggered quietly to himself and shut the front door, before making his way to the car. That was definitely going to be a fun morning.

 

 

* * *

 

  
During the car ride the couple bombed Aidan with all kinds of questions about his studies and the job experience at the Melbourne Aquarium, about the friends he made down there and about all the flings and relationships he ever had. He happily answered to everything, because Richard and Lee had a way with words that always put everyone at ease and made them enjoy engaging in a conversation with them. Plus he could talk about the dirtiest and kinkiest things to them and they wouldn't even flinch, they'd just laugh excitedly and ask for more details.  
  
It was when they were all sitting in a coffee shop, ready to order food, that Lee lowered Aidan's menu with a huge grin plastered on his face.  
  
"What?" Aidan scowled and looked confused at the way in which Richard had turned quiet and fidgety, like he always did when he was nervous "You alright, mate?"  
  
Richard smiled softly and nodded, then Lee placed one of his hands over his husband's to let him know that everything was fine and there was no reason to be so nervous.  
  
"We got massive, enormous news! And you're the first person to know," Lee started.  
  
Aidan squared his shoulders and leaned back against the chair "Okay?"  
  
"You see we... Uh," Richard attempted to take over "Lee and I, uh... Us, um... As a married couple, we..."  
  
Aidan's brows furrowed even more "You aren't splitting up, are you?"  
  
The couple both widened their eyes and nearly yelled out a “No!” 

Lee shook his head adding quickly “Quite the contrary!”  
  
"Oh good!" Aidan let out a relieved breath "Fuck, that would have killed me!"  
  
"Our surrogate called us yesterday and told us she's pregnant!" Richard blurted out all of a sudden, not bothering with the fact that his cousin had no idea at all of what he was on about.  
  
Aidan stared at him as if he had just told him that the earth was actually cubic. "I'm sorry, what was that?"  
  
"We're having a baby!" Lee all but squealed.  
  
Aidan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and his jaw dropped "Get the fuck out!"  
  
"We're serious!" Lee cried, and in the blink of an eye the three of them started laughing hysterically and tear up all at the same time. Aidan couldn't help but launch himself at the couple from across the table and pulled them into a bone crushing bear hug as he rambled about becoming an uncle and congratulating the parents-to-be repeatedly between sobs.  
  
Aidan had never been so glad to have renounced sleep in his whole life, that was one hell of an amazing news! 

Richard and Lee were one of those couples that everyone knew they were forever. Of course they had their ups and downs, but who doesn't? They had a beautiful, healthy and happy relationship and some people could only dream about it – especially the homophobes that found them unholy and disgusting. They had met during their first year of vet school, fallen in love almost right away, graduated, opened a veterinary clinic together and never ever left one another since.  
  
Aidan had always wondered what it would have been like for him to have something like theirs, he had waited to fall for someone during his university years but no one ever had that spark, no one was interesting or interested enough. Still he was hoping, as he looked over at the couple clutching each other's hands as they were still giggling excitedly at that new step of their relationship; yeah, maybe one day he'd have something like that.  
  
"So nine months and the little'un will be with us?" Aidan smiled brightly and rubbed at his still teary eyes with the back of his hand "Damn, I can't wait!"  
  
Lee raised a pair of thick eyebrows "Eight, actually, she's already a month far along." he precised with an excited smile.  
  
Aidan's grin threatened to split his face in two "Oh God, even better!"  
  
Richard smiled bashful down at the table, a deep flush painting his cheeks and ears, and all Aidan wanted to do was hug him breathless all over again.  
  
"I feel awful to interrupt the moment, sirs," a voice that wasn't exactly foreign to Aidan's ears chimed in "but, can I get you something?"  
  
Aidan's eyes shot up in the direction of the waiter and his jaw dropped for the second time, that morning. He remembered those golden locks, he could have sworn to God that he had run his fingers through them, already; those eyes were as blue and clear as the Australian waves he was so fond of; that pair of lips were so peculiar in their shape and curve that he had never seen anything quite similar to them, and he knew he had kissed them many times before, until they'd turned red and swollen. Aidan couldn't believe that of all people he had really run into his college boyfriend after all these years, he couldn't even breathe. 

“Aidan?” the waiter's eyes widened and he had to steady himself on the tabletop, or else he would have probably collapsed to the floor. 

“Dean,” Aidan gulped, still breathless “Dean O'Gorman...” he gaped up at the blond. 

“ _That_ Dean O'Gorman?” Richard widened his eyes as his gaze wandered from his cousin to the waiter. 

“Oh good God,” Lee covered his mouth with his hand. 

“I-I...” Aidan stuttered as his eyes wandered wildly and blindly around him “Christ, I can't believe it,” he shook his head and stood up. 

Dean clenched his jaw and swallowed thickly, visibly not ready for what was to follow. “I thought I was never gonna see you again,” he almost whispered. 

“So did I,” Aidan broke into a brilliant smile and automatically went for a hug, but what he wasn't expecting was to see Dean take a step back with an indescribable look on his face. “Oh... Sorry, I just thought–” 

Dean smiled weakly and shook his head “No, sorry it's just–” he chuckled nervously “This is huge for me, I can't–” he sucked in a shuddering breath and squeezed his eyes shut “I'm sorry, I need a break, I'll go get my colleague.” he nodded and quickly disappeared behind the bar. 

Aidan remained frozen on the spot as if someone had just slapped him really hard across the face and left him stunned, so much that Richard had to stand and place a hand on his shoulder to bring him back to reality. 

“You alright?” Richard asked, concerned. 

Aidan blinked and turned to him with a smile that didn't reach his eyes “Y-yes! Yes.” he nodded and sat back down “Whoa, that was...” he raised his eyebrows, unable to add anything else. 

“Aidan, it's fine. You two haven't seen each other in what? Five years?” Lee arched a brow as he started to reassure him that Dean's reaction was completely understandable. 

“Yeah, nearly five years, I guess...” Aidan spotted Dean's blond head as he left the coffee shop from the backdoor with a packet of cigarettes clutched firmly in his fist. 

“It's normal for him to be shaken, don't you think?” Lee tilted his head, staring at the young man even though he wasn't looking at him. 

Aidan shook his head “You don't understand, I know him. He looks so different, there's something in his eyes... He was–” he grimaced “He looked frightened.” he turned to Richard and Lee “Why the hell would he be frightened by me?” 

Richard shrugged “Well you two were together for two years, after all...” 

Lee nodded in agreement “I'd probably freak out too, if I were in his shoes.” 

Aidan balled his hands tightly into fists “Do you think I should go talk to him?” 

Richard grimaced and shook his head, but his husband nodded and placed his hand over Aidan's “Give it a try,” he jerked his head in the direction of the front door of the coffee shop “Go ahead.” 

Aidan ran his tongue over his bottom lip “Okay,” he nodded “alright, yeah. I'm going.” he clapped his hands on the table and stood up all over again to strut out of the shop. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Once he was outside Aidan looked left and right, then did a double take when he saw Dean shivering in the cold as he puffed on his cigarette. God, he'd become even more gorgeous and attractive that he used to be in college, so much that Aidan's knees were turning into jello and making it nearly impossible for him to walk up to Dean. 

“Shit, Aid. Get a grip!” he muttered to himself as he sucked in a deep breath “You can do this, you've done it before!” he nodded to himself and gathered up all his courage to finally step in the direction of his ex.

Dean spotted him right away and tightened an arm around his own chest as he took another nervous drag of tobacco, but he didn't run away this time, which was definitely a step up. 

Aidan offered him a warm smile “I'm not going to assault you with another hug, I swear.” 

Dean stared at him for some moments, then he couldn't help but laugh at his words. 

“Gee, you're not making it any easier for me, like this!” Aidan raised his eyebrows, though he couldn't keep himself from giggling as well. Dean's laugh was still as infective as he remembered. 

“I just–” Dean bit his lower lip as he looked up into Aidan's dark eyes and shrugged “All this time, I never thought that you could ever walk through the door of this coffee shop and suddenly here you are!” he gestured to him, then flicked the burnt out cigarette away. 

Aidan's smile broadened into a grin and he couldn't help but square his shoulders and rock slightly on his heels “Here I am!” 

“You look great,” Dean nodded, genuinely impressed, then his expression dropped as he kept nodding “You actually look really fucking great, oh God.” he shook his head and covered his eyes with a hand. 

Aidan laughed really hard at his words, and his cheeks flushed a deep shade of red “Piss off!” he looked back up at him and felt his face ache because he was physically unable to stop himself from smiling “You're gorgeous yourself, Deano.” 

Dean shook visibly and his ears turned bright red at those words “No–” he looked down at the pavement, shifting his weight from one leg to the other “No one as ever called me that for ages.” 

This time it was Aidan's turn to steady himself against the wall of the coffee shop “Well, I-I...” he raised his brows “I definitely feel special, then.” 

Dean's eyes suddenly turned bright as he looked back up at Aidan “You are, yeah.” he nodded, and Aidan couldn't help but notice the way in which his voice had cracked. 

“Look I'd... Love it if you'd let me buy you a drink tonight?” it had taken Aidan a huge amount of courage to actually blurt out that request, but seeing Dean after all that time had made his stomach flutter like nothing ever had for ages. 

Dean suddenly turned pale and his eyes widened slightly “No,” he shook his head “No, I'm sorry. I-I can't,” he shook his head again as he licked nervously at his chapped lips. 

Aidan felt his heart break, literally, it was like someone had clutched at it with all their strength and actually made it burst. “I shouldn't have asked you that,” he shook his head himself “I'm sorry, I'm a fucking idiot.” God he was so stupid and embarrassed, why couldn't the pavement just split and swallow him whole? 

“No it's just...” Dean squeezed his eyes shut “Not tonight,” he sucked in a shaky breath, as if he was making a huge effort to speak “Not _at_ night.” 

Aidan scowled over at him “Oh...” he blinked, puzzled. He didn't know why Dean would have any issue with going out at night, but he didn't have much time to think about it. 

“I get off my shift at 2,” Dean smiled sheepish “I'm pretty sure I'll be hungry, by that time.” 

Aidan had to keep himself from screaming his lungs out in excitement, so he just nodded vigorously “That's fine! How about we go down to Camden?” 

Dean bit his bottom lip really hard and nodded “Sounds perfect.” 

“Cool!” Aidan nodded “I'll see you later, then?” 

“Well, I'm pretty sure I'll see you while you have brunch with your cousin.” Dean smirked “They're Richard and... Lee, right?” he furrowed his brows. 

Aidan nearly slapped his forehead, he could seriously turn into a proper idiot around his ex, wow. “Yeah, you remember them, huh?” he chuckled nervous. 

“Of course I do, I'm not demented.” Dean rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. 

“Right,” Aidan nodded and sucked in a deep breath “I'm gonna head back inside, then.” 

Dean nodded slowly “You do that.” 

Aidan grinned and nearly ran into the front door of the coffee shop, making Dean laugh and embarrassing himself as usual. 

When he reached the table he saw that Richard and Lee had already started eating their bacon sandwiches and drinking their coffee. 

“Thanks for waiting for me!” Aidan huffed and sat down “You're unbelievable.” 

“Hey, we thought _that_ was going to take pretty long!” Richard raised his eyebrows as he stuffed his mouth with food.

“We're big, tall men, we need sustenance.” Lee spoke around his mouthful, then washed everything down with a large sip of coffee.

Aidan muttered something to himself and stole his cousin's coffee.

“So, how did it go?” Richard smirked as he watched his cousin sip from his coffee.

Aidan shrugged “No big deal, I'm taking him to Camden at 2,” he hollowed his cheeks, trying not to laugh in trepidation. 

“Oh you go, you stud!” Lee slapped his hand on the table and made the other two men laugh. 

Aidan watched as Dean stepped back behind the bar, but he wasn't looking at him, he was tapping away on his cellphone with a deep frown. Aidan's smile faded a bit, but he thought that it couldn't be anything bad, he was going out with him after all, there was nothing to be worried about.

 

_**To be continued...** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aidan and Dean are the same age in this 'verse, around 22/23 years old. Just thought you should know.
> 
> Also I know, I know you wanted to read about the date, but that'll have to wait 'til next chapter ;)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I seriously didn't expect all the kudos and comments and general success and interest that the first chapter has raised, I was and still am overwhelmed by it! I'm sorry this second chapter took a while but yeah, now you can enjoy it, and hopefully it'll be just as good as the other :)

Aidan, Richard and Lee killed time by taking a walk not too far from the coffee shop, the older men pretty much had to keep the boy calm, since he looked on the verge of a heart attack or a mental breakdown. 

“If you don't calm down I'll have to slap you, I'm not joking.” Lee threatened when Aidan started bouncing on his heels right beside him. 

“I'm sorry, I can't help it!” Aidan groaned, then forced himself to stay as still as he could. “I'm just really nervous, because he looked so weird.” he let out a huge sigh and dropped his head. 

“He just met his college boyfriend after five years, what do you expect?” Richard felt like he had repeated that very sentence at least three thousands times, yet he felt like he was going to have to repeat it a hundred more. 

“Well I met my college boyfriend after five years, too! I didn't look at him as if I was facing the reaper!” Aidan cried as he stuffed his fists into the pockets of his coat. 

“My God, you need to stop.” Lee's eyes rolled back into his skull, then he placed both hands on Aidan's shoulders “Listen to me. You haven't seen this boy for half a decade, things happen, you don't know what's going on in his life!” he raised his eyebrows as he watched terror slowly creep on Aidan's features “So what you're gonna do during this date is find out what's happened in his life during all this time, so you'll know why he's acting so weirdly.” 

Richard bit back a grin as he watched his husband deal with his panicked cousin, then looked down at the pavement, kicking a stray pebble. 

Aidan pulled a face and let his eyes fall shut “Why did I even ask him out?” he whined. 

Lee flared his nostrils and looked over at Richard “He's your cousin, I'm done with him right now.” 

Richard sighed “Alright, alright! Aid, enough! You asked him out 'cause you clearly still have feelings for him, right?” he arched a brow. 

Aidan blushed slightly and shrugged a shoulder “Uh, maybe?”

Lee grimaced “Maybe?” he snarled. 

Richard rolled his eyes and held up a hand in front of his husband “Lee, just don't.” he looked back at his cousin and clapped a hand on his shoulder “It's okay if you still have feelings for him, you know? I mean you guys were kinda forced to end it, it's not like you fell out of love or someone did something bad, right?” 

Aidan furrowed his brows and nodded “Yeah, we just... Moved to different towns,” he shrugged. 

“Indeed, this is what really happened.” Richard nodded “So it's fine. Just enjoy this date, alright? But no high expectations, things like this can take a minute just like they could take much more time.” 

“Okay...” Aidan let out a resigned sigh. 

“Good,” Richard gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze, then gestured in the direction of the coffee shop “Now go pick him up, we gotta go back to the clinic.” 

Aidan smiled softly and nodded “Alright, have a nice rest of the day.” 

“You too, have fun!” Richard smiled, then bumped his shoulder into Lee's. 

Lee sighed and smiled himself, Aidan could easily get on his nerves when he acted like that, but Lee loved him nonetheless. “Call us, tonight. Okay?” 

Aidan's smile broadened “'Course, I will.” he turned on his heels and determinedly made his way back to the coffee shop, even though the closer he got to the place, the more his confidence crumbled. But then he saw that Dean was waiting for him outside, smoking, and a big grin automatically tugged at the corners of his mouth. 

“Wow, you've become punctual through the years?” Dean smirked as he saw Aidan approaching him. 

“Nope, you're just lucky I was around,” Aidan nodded as he stopped in front of the shorter man.

Dean took a last drag of cigarette and put it out “We're off to the tube, then?” he spoke as he exhaled the smoke distractedly. 

Aidan nodded “Yep, let's go.” 

They started walking in the direction of the underground station, keeping quiet for the first few steps, then Aidan decided to break the silence. 

“Are you sure you wanted to go out with me?” Aidan regretted saying those words right away, especially when Dean stopped abruptly. 

“Yeah, I am sure,” Dean began, his expression equal parts offended and exasperated “This is really hard for me! The last thing I was expecting to do today was meeting you, so cut me some slack, yeah?” 

Aidan raised his brows “Of course, of course!” he huffed “Look, I'm sorry I'm just so nervous...” he frowned “Forgive my stupidity, will you?” 

“Of course I do. I always did.” Dean spoke in a sweet, hushed voice as he nodded his head. 

Aidan rolled his eyes with a smile “Thank you.” he really wanted to pull Dean into his arms and hold him tightly, but he was too afraid to scare him so he had to restrain from doing so. He had to take it slow, Lee and Richard were right after all, he hadn't seen nor heard from Dean in so long, too many things might have changed in his life. 

“No problem,” Dean smiled softly and started walking towards the station with Aidan again. After a few moments he had the courage to actually start speaking first “So, you done with uni?” 

“Yeah, I graduated over a year ago, actually.” Aidan tilted his head slightly “In Melbourne, I studied and worked there for two years,” he explained. 

“Whoa, you went to Australia?” Dean raised his eyebrows “That's awesome, man. So you really went for Marine Biology, after all?” he couldn't help the bitterness in his voice, after all university was what had separated them for all those years. 

“I did, yes.” Aidan nodded as they walked down the stairs of the tube station. He suddenly remembered that he didn't have any ticket, so he approached the ticket machine followed by Dean. “What about you?” he asked as he searched his pockets for coins. 

Dean pursed his lips and looked down at the floor, casually shuffling his foot “Got my degree in photography,” he shrugged as he kept frowning at the linoleum. 

Aidan grabbed his tickets and turned to face Dean with a big smile plastered on his lips “You did? Oh God, that's wonderful Dean!” 

Dean's head shot up and looked at him incredulous “What?” he blinked “It's no big deal, it's pretty stupid, actually.” 

Aidan widened his eyes under furrowed brows “What are you talking about? You were an amazing photographer even back in college! You're probably wonderful, now!” 

Dean's jaw dropped slightly and he looked away “Let's get going, eh?” he said as he moved towards the turnstiles. 

Aidan stood frozen on the spot for a couple of seconds. Dean was acting weird all over again, back in the day he just wouldn't shut up about photography and he'd always be eager to take shots of Aidan and everything else he found beautiful around him. What the hell happened to his Deano? The brunet sucked in a deep breath and followed behind Dean, but they kept silent until they got on the train. 

“I'm gonna be an uncle,” Aidan blurted out all of a sudden, because the silence between them was becoming insufferable. 

Dean arched a brow and smirked over at him “I know, I accidentally overheard your conversation.” 

Aidan raised his eyebrows “You shouldn't eavesdrop your customers' private talks.” 

Dean shrugged a shoulder “Well sometimes customers are a bit too loud,” he grinned. 

Aidan dropped his head and chuckled “I'm sorry, but I hadn't seen them for more than a year, and that was some major news!” 

“So you came back only recently?” Dean asked as he stood up from his seat, since the train had almost reached the Camden Town station. 

“I came back last night, actually.” Aidan smirked and stepped out of the train when it stopped and the doors slid open. 

Dean nearly didn't make it out because he had been shocked by Aidan's words “Y-you mean... You came back last night and this morning you just happened to walk straight into my workplace?” 

“I like to think it's a sign,” Aidan winked as they made their way out of the station side by side. When they were finally outside Aidan stopped and took a look around, a wide smile spreading on his lips “God, I missed this place!” 

Dean sucked in a deep breath as his gaze wandered around as well “We've spent so many weekends here, it's insane.” 

Aidan bumped his shoulder into Dean's “Brings back loads of memories, doesn't it?” 

Dean shut his eyes for a moment when Aidan softly hit his shoulder into his, but then nodded in agreement “So many.” 

Aidan didn't notice Dean's reaction, so he just jerked his head in the direction of Camden Lock “C'mon, let's find you something to eat.” 

Dean pursed his lips as they began to walk again “A salad wrap from Pret A Manger will do, no need to wander much.” 

Aidan arched a brow “So you can run away from me as fast as you can?” 

Dean glared up at him “Or so we can take a proper walk?” 

Aidan nodded “Right,” then he smirked “I haven't been to the Cyberdog store in ages!” 

“Me neither actually,” Dean admitted as he spotted the fast food and crossed the road with Aidan to reach it. 

Aidan was actually starting to feel a bit awkward, there were too many silences between them and he kept wondering if it had actually been a good idea to ask Dean out, because no matter the way in which his stomach fluttered and his heart raced in his chest there was something off. Still he thought that Dean could have just turned down his offer if he didn't want to spend time with him, yet there he was, standing in line with him to pay for his lunch and then sitting down at a table and just picking at the salad inside the wrap instead of eating it. 

“I thought you were hungry?” Aidan furrowed his brows as he took a sip of his tea. 

Dean made a face “I thought I was, too.” he sighed and pointed down at his food “You want some?” 

Aidan shook his head “No, thanks.” then he smiled down at his cup of tea, running his fingers over the lid “Even though I was always eating your leftovers back in the day,” he chuckled. 

Dean sighed and rested his elbows on the table, propping his chin on his hands as he studied Aidan “Yet you've never even gained an extra pound, damn fast metabolism of yours.” he smirked softly. 

Aidan shrugged and wrinkled his nose "Mother nature has been kind to me." he watched Dean snigger softly at his joke, then he realized how tired he looked. "You must be exhausted, you've always been adorable when you're sleepy," he smiled and absentmindedly reached out a hand to brush a few locks off Dean's forehead, in a gesture of affection, but as soon as his hand got closer to Dean's face he flinched. Aidan widened his eyes and drew his hand back "Sorry, I just–" he furrowed his brows "I wasn't gonna–"  
  
Dean sucked in a couple of deep breaths as he tried to calm down "No it's me, I'm a bit jumpy... When I'm tired." he explained in an unsteady, insecure voice.  
  
"Okay," Aidan wasn't convinced at all by Dean's answers and his odd behavior worried him "Do you wanna go home and get some rest? I could walk you there." Aidan offered, even if he'd rather spend some more time with him.  
  
Dean shook his head "No, no. I wanna stay..." then he looked down at the wrap and decided to finally pick it up "With you," he added almost in a whisper as he took a small bite of his food.  
  
Aidan's heart warmed altogether, Dean might have spoken the last words softly but he had heard them loud and clear. "Good, okay. But the moment you're too exhausted I'll take you home."  
  
Dean rolled his eyes as if he wanted to say something around his mouthful but restrained, so he just nodded his head as he chewed with his lips firmly pressed together.  
  
"You're so cute when you eat, you look like a squirrel," Aidan chuckled as he went back to his nearly forgotten tea.  
  
Dean's cheekbones turned a soft shade of pink, and when he finally swallowed he raised his eyebrows "People usually hate it when I eat," he plucked a slice of tomato and inspected it "apparently I chew too loudly or something." he sighed and ate the tomato slowly and carefully, as if he was trying to chew as quietly as he could.  
  
Aidan scowled and half laughed at that statement "What?" he cocked his head "That's ridiculous, you've never chewed loudly, I always remember you eating way more politely that I did."  
  
Dean smiled sheepishly and kept eating, this time looking like he was finally really enjoying his meal. Aidan smirked, liking Dean's new found enthusiasm as he kept nursing his tea.  
  
Once they were done with their lunch, they finally moved out of the fast food to take their walk and Aidan finally got Dean to talk to him about his degree and how he was still trying to get hooked up with some jobs, and that was why he was working at the coffee shop. At least he was talking now, he looked more like _Deano_ and not a shadow of that enthusiastic, laid-back boy. He promised Aidan that he was going to show him his latest photos, even though he hadn't had the time to take many, but Aidan was definitely getting to see the work he did for his final assessment back in uni. Again, Aidan couldn't stop smiling as they slowly strolled down the sidewalk, and while he told Dean all the silly things that Bailey did as a puppy (and still did), or he spoke about his first work as a researcher on a pod of dolphins, Dean looked so relaxed and fascinated that Aidan's heart threatened to burst out of his chest, especially when Dean started walking so close to him that their hands were brushing together. 

“Maybe one day I should introduce you to Bailey,” Aidan smirked and his pinky tentatively hooked with Dean's, the other man's hand stiffened for a moment, but then he just gave in and let their digits lace together. 

“You know how much I love dogs, so I guess that would be alright?” Dean smiled up at him softly, and Aidan nodded in response.

 Everything was going smooth and well as they approached the bridge where Chalk Farm Road bled into Camden High Street, when a group of three people began to shout angrily at each other and two of them actually came to blows. Dean had already jumped out of his skin when they'd broke into yelling, and when the two guys were at each other's throats he bumped back into Aidan and cried out scared, flinching as if the brunet's body had burnt him. 

“Dean! What's wrong?” Aidan didn't think too much and just grabbed the shorter man by his shoulders. 

“Let go of me, let go of me, let go of me!” Dean squeezed his eyes shut and brought his fists up defensively. Aidan promptly moved his hands away and ran his fingers through his own hair, not knowing what to do. 

“Dean, you need to tell me what's going on!” Aidan pleaded, worry eating at him and nearly swallowing him whole. 

Dean gulped as he tried to steady his breathing, his body shaking as he finally gave in and collapsed against Aidan, who wrapped his arms around him because he knew that this time he wasn't going to be pushed away “I'm so sorry, I probably seem mental,” he swallowed thickly and squeezed his eyes firmly shut. 

Aidan rested his chin on top of Dean's head as he rubbed soothing circles on his back “It's okay, I know you're not mental,” he sighed “I'm just worried about you, that's all.” 

Dean inhaled a shuddering breath and looked up at Aidan “I still can't believe you're actually here.” 

Aidan smiled down at him “Well I am,” he couldn't help but stare down at Dean's slightly parted lips, then a memory slowly slithered back to his mind “You know where we are, right?” 

Dean furrowed his brows and pulled back slightly to take a look around, then it hit him: it was the same exact spot where they'd shared their first, real kiss. “Oh...” Dean reluctantly broke away from the warm, soothing hug and shook his head. “There's something I haven't told you, but _please_ don't get mad.” 

Aidan's chest was already tightening at those words, because he knew perfectly what they implied, and the way in which Dean was asking him to not get mad made him shiver slightly. That emptiness mixed with fear had crept back to Dean's eyes, and all over again he was the shadow of his true self. “I promise I won't get mad,” Aidan reassured him with a frown. 

“I... Kinda got a boyfriend.” Dean scrunched his face, and Aidan didn't know if he was actually expecting to be yelled at or if admitting that was physically painful.

“Of course you do,” Aidan smiled bitter and let his eyes drop shut. He scrubbed both hands over his face a couple of times, feeling crushed and stupid all at the same time. “I'm sorry I just assumed you'd be single.” 

“No, it's fine!” Dean raised his brows and reached out a hand to squeeze Aidan's wrist “It's been so hard for me, I thought it would have been easier to get over you when we parted ways.” he grimaced and shook his head “It was fucking horrible, I missed you so much, and I thought I'd never find someone else. But then–” 

“I missed you very much, too.” Aidan ran his tongue between his lips, then went on “I promise I'll leave you alone, I had no right to do everything I've done.” 

Dean still hadn't let go of Aidan's wrist, so he tugged at it “No please, don't do that. Don't leave me again.” 

“I...” Aidan scowled at him, confused “Don't really want to, but I feel like I have to step back.” 

“Well don't. I don't wanna lose you again.” Dean clenched his jaw and flared his nostrils. 

Aidan didn't know if that was a good idea, he wasn't a home wrecker, but there was something more hiding behind those blue eyes, behind the strong expression and the slightly unsteady voice. Not to mention his reactions, the way in which he was constantly scared of being touched or how he lost it when he saw and heard those people fight. If that was a subtle cry for help Aidan was going to answer it, Dean had meant and still did mean a lot to him, and he was going to do everything in his power to make him feel better. 

“You never really lost me,” Aidan pursed his lips and twisted his wrist awkwardly so that now he was holding Dean's hand in his “but I won't go anywhere, I promise.” he nodded and placed a soft kiss to Dean's knuckles. 

“I did, actually,” Dean frowned “I lost a lot,” he let out a shaky sigh and when Aidan kissed his hand he sniggered and draw his arm back “Stop it!” 

Aidan wasn't stupid, he could look like it many times but he really wasn't, and the nearly whispered _'I lost a lot'_ automatically registered in his brain. It wasn't the right time to ask Dean about what had happened during those years, if he had a boyfriend why was he so keen on spending time with Aidan? He gained love and affection from someone, how could that include losing a lot? 

“How could I stop?” Aidan grinned, then checked the time. He didn't really have much to do apart from taking Bailey for a proper walk, but he could definitely stay a bit more with Dean. “So, do you wanna walk some more or you'd like to meet Bailey?” 

Dean was stiffening again, he pressed his lips together in a line and shook his head “N-no. No I can't come to your house, and I don't feel like seeing your parents. Not today.” he stammered, clearly nervous all over again. 

Aidan nearly wanted to scream, not because he was mad at Dean or because he annoyed him, but because he really wanted to know who or what had made him this way. “It's okay, Deano. Some other time,” he nodded reassuringly “we can just walk.” 

Dean let out a sigh “I'm sorry, Aid.” 

“No need to apologize, really.” Aidan shrugged a shoulder “Let's just go.” 

They spent roughly a couple more hours together, just strolling around, petting strangers' dogs, laughing and chatting and it had been as good as the old times. There had been times, back in college, when Aidan thought that it was going to be he and Dean against the world, that until reality smacked them across the face and they had to make their separate ways. People told them they were too young to be in love, that it was the right thing to do, that true love was yet to come for them and so Aidan had tried to move on, even if it pained him deeply. Moving to Australia had helped him a lot, he got to learn a lot about his job as a marine biologist on the field and the met loads of people, but no one had ever been like Dean. 

Looking back at Dean, as he left him on the train while he headed back home, he knew that Dean hadn't moved on as well, no matter the boyfriend. Aidan hadn't asked many questions about him, but Dean had told him that his name was Calvin and he had met him during his second year of university, when Calvin and his flatmates moved into the flat across from Dean's. Aidan had seen people talking about their lovers, knew how much they liked to gush about them while their eyes sparkled and their lips couldn't help but being stretched into the biggest smile ever, but Dean wasn't like that. Dean got nervous when he spoke about Calvin and for the most part preferred to avoid the subject, focusing randomly on something else. There wasn't love.

Still Aidan tried not to get his hopes up, because he knew nothing of Dean's relationship, and he didn't want to end up with a broken heart to heal, not again. He was still going to visit Dean at the coffee shop, just like he had promised him, but he also needed to keep himself busy, so when he called Richard and Lee that night, he had something to ask to them. 

“ _A boyfriend, huh?”_  

“Yeah, but I think he's hiding something from me, I don't know.” Aidan sighed as he rested back against the bedpost, his fingers running absentmindedly through Bailey's fur. 

“ _Maybe, yes. You only spent a few hours with him, that's not enough time to gather nearly five years worth of information.”_  

“Yeah, that's what I thought.” Aidan pursed his lips “I know it's crazy, but maybe now that he saw me he'll break up with the dude.”

“ _Please, don't get too invested in this thought or you'll end up hurting yourself.”_  

Aidan grimaced “I know, I know,” he sighed “but it's nice to dream, yeah?”  
  
 _“Lee and I will keep our fingers crossed for you.”_  
  
“Even your toes?” a lazy smirk curled Aidan's lips. 

“ _Yes, those too.”_  

“Thank you,” Aidan chuckled and then furrowed his brows as the thought from before came back to him “Listen, is Lee still working for Sea Life?” 

“ _Kinda, he still goes there every now and then. Why? Want him to hook you up with a job?_ ”

“Would that be too much to ask?” Aidan bit his lower lip, hopeful. 

“ _Of course, we hate you. We'd never help you.”_  

Aidan rolled his eyes “Quit joking.” 

“ _Of course, you arse. Lee said he'll go there tomorrow and he'll put in a good word for you.”_  

“God, you're a pair of angels!” Aidan broke into a bright grin and then looked down at Bailey who was playfully nibbling on his fingers. 

“ _We know, email me your CV, yeah?”_  

“Right away!” Aidan wrapped his fingers around Bailey's muzzle and she let out a huff of hair through her nose “Goodnight dads, thank you.” 

“ _Shut up!”_  

Aidan laughed and ended the call “Well that has to be a step up, right princess?” Bailey whined and wagged her tail in response “Yep, that's what I thought.” 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lee had apparently worked his magic, and Aidan had been contacted only a day after his résumé had been received, earning himself an interview. Aidan had received the call while he was walking Bailey, and he had been so excited that he had scooped the dog off the ground to squeeze and smooch her, completely oblivious of the few people staring and chuckling – not that he really cared about other people's judgment. The first thing that Aidan did was text Dean, he knew he should have probably thanked Lee for his kind help before, but he would have lied to himself if he said that Dean wasn't the biggest thought on his mind, so he sat on a bench and began to type.  
  
 _'got an interview at sea life tomorrow. If I get the job I'm taking you out to celebrate. Don't tell the bf.'_  
  
Aidan smiled to himself and watched as Bailey sniffed a spot right in front of his shoes. He waited for a reply for over fifteen minutes, but not a single text arrived, he told himself that Dean was probably just working, so he decided to call his cousin-in-law and thank him, instead.  
  
 _"Hello?"_  
  
Aidan smiled "Hey mate! Am I disturbing you at work?"  
  
 _"No it's fine, you got me right after neutering a cat, so I'm on a short break."_  
  
At those words Aidan couldn't help but grimace and press his thighs together "Ouch!" he heard a deep, throaty laugh from the other end of the phone that made him smirk "I wanted to say thanks, 'cause the aquarium called and set up an interview for tomorrow morning!"  
  
 _"They did? Really? Whoa, then they must have liked you, 'cause they rarely call after barely a day."_  
  
Aidan raised his eyebrows "Always a good thing to attach a photo to your CV, right?"  
  
 _"Idiot."_  
  
Aidan laughed "How's the hubby?"  
  
 _"Hubby's good, he's the one in surgery right now. A Staffie sliced his foreleg open, so he's sewing him back up."_  
  
Aidan frowned and automatically stroked a hand over Bailey's head "That's awful, poor thing." he heard his phone beeping and buzzing, and his heart skipped a beat – Dean had probably replied to him.  
  
 _"Yeah, he was in so much pain, poor love."_ Aidan heard some background noises and voices _"Alright, another emergency, gotta go. Break a leg tomorrow, eh?"_  
  
"Sure, go! And thanks again, I'll do my best!" Aidan hung up so quickly he had probably ended the call while he was still speaking, but he didn't care, especially when he saw Dean's name on the screen.  
  
 _'that's wonderful, mate! But this week is a bit of a problem, Cal mostly has morning shifts so I'll have to be with him. Another time?'_  
  
Aidan's excitement died the moment he read the text, and he felt the bitter taste of disappointment mixed with jealousy surging directly from his stomach.  
  
 _'I'd tell you to bring him along, but I'd rather we were alone.'_  
  
The next reply from Dean came so fast that Aidan actually thought he had read his mind more than the message.  
  
 _'No, Cal is a bit jealous, can't do. Next week might work. Tell me if you get the job. xx'_  
  
If Aidan could have scowled even more at his phone he would have. He didn't like Calvin regardless of whatever he did or thought, simply because he was Dean's boyfriend, but he just couldn't see why he would be jealous of a friend of Dean's.  
  
 _'why would he be jealous of a friend, tho?'_  
  
When Aidan lifted his eyes from the screen he noticed a Bullmastiff growling at Bailey from afar, so he rolled his eyes and got up from the bench "C'mon princess, let's head back home," he said as he began to walk back in the direction of their home, and in that moment his cellphone vibrated again.  
  
 _'he's just a jealous fella. gotta go now. xx'_  
  
Aidan didn't like that answer, he knew that Dean was probably working and he was in a hurry, still that weird, unpleasant feeling about this boyfriend of Dean's was there and it only kept getting nastier.  
  
 _'alright. Talk to you soon. xx'_  
  
Aidan pushed his Samsung into the pocket of his coat, popped up the collar and began to walk a bit faster, since it had started raining.

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
Aidan didn't hear from Dean after their little exchange and that definitely didn't help the nervousness thrumming through his body as he made his way to Sea Life. He tried to distract himself watching all the over excited tourists chatting, laughing and snapping pictures, but then a cute couple of girls kissed just right in front of him and Aidan nearly flopped to the pavement. The combination of missing Dean and being anxious about the interview made his stomach turn, and all he wanted to do was crawl back in his bed with a hot cup of tea, Bailey curled up beside him and then he would have slept for a few months. 

When he reached the reception at Sea Life he was told to wait for either Mr Evans or Mr McTavish to come pick him up and take him to the interview room with them, and so he waited, propped against a wall as he watched a couple dozen of kids crowd the entrance of the aquarium with their teachers. Aidan smiled to himself, the children couldn't be older than twelve, but they somehow still reminded him of the first time he and his university mates had visited the Melbourne Aquarium. He remembered perfectly how exciting it had been to feed the baby seahorses for the first time, and the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins when he had taken a plunge with the sharks, even though his favorite part about his whole experience was always going to be getting to take care of the penguins' colony. 

Aidan was just thinking about how upset he still was for not being able to witness the arrival of Pinjarra, the giant saltwater crocodile, at the aquarium, when a warm, deep voice startled him back to reality.

 “You must be Mr Turner!” 

Aidan raised his eyes to look into mesmerizing blue and sometimes he wished he wasn't so easily attracted and hypnotized by beauty. “That's me, yeah!” he broke into a toothy grin. 

“I presume they told you to either wait for McTavish or Evans. Well, I'm Evans,” the man smiled from under his finely trimmed mustache and held out a hand for Aidan “Just call me Luke.” 

Aidan shook his hand “Alright, Luke.” 

Luke escorted Aidan into the interview room, and they talked for no more than fifteen minutes. Aidan had a way with words that could definitely make him sell ice in the Antarctic, and it didn't take him too long to earn Luke's respect and admiration, because no matter how young the guy might have been, he'd reached impressive goals during his studies and was one of the best workers back at Melbourne's Sea Life. 

“McTavish and I actually asked your old supervisor about your work back in Melbourne and they wouldn't stop praising your skills,” Luke said at some point, and Aidan had to bite back the gargantuan grin that threatened to split his face. “I guess that definitely classifies as a few good points in your favor,” then he cocked his head “not to mention how highly Lee spoke about you.” 

“I don't know what to say, apart from the fact that I really love this kind of job and I intend to keep working really hard to get better.” Aidan didn't want to gush about his old supervisor nor about his cousin-in-law, no matter how laid-back Luke seemed to be, it just didn't feel right. 

“We'd be glad to have someone like you in our team,” Luke placed a hand over his chest with a crooked smirk “I personally would be. There's no certainty I can give you right now, but I do have your number, and if you got the job you'll hear from me no later than tomorrow morning. Otherwise I'll be very sorry, but it'll mean that we couldn't fit you in any spot.” 

Aidan nodded, already knowing the drill about getting or not getting a job, but Luke's words were definitely more encouraging than the usual, horrible _'we'll be in touch'._ “I perfectly understand.” 

Luke smiled and stood up “It's been really lovely talking to you, I hope to see you come back here and wear one of our uniforms.” 

Aidan sniggered softly and shook the hand that had been held out for him “Thank you, pleasure's all mine. And I do hope you'll have my size.” they both laughed softly at that, and then Aidan left the room. 

He slowly walked out of the aquarium, his mind was still mildly hazed with the excitement and nervousness that was now wearing off, but he was very proud of the way the interview had gone, he had a good feeling about the whole thing. Then that need to see Dean crept back to him, and he decided that he was going to give it a try and see if he was at the coffee shop. 

It was like Aidan's feet knew the way by heart, even though he had only been to that coffee shop once. There was nothing that could distract him from where he was going, not even the old lady that was trying to get him to give her some directions and that later grumbled about how this new generation is completely ruined. He didn't even realize that he had started half jogging during the last few feet, and when he almost burst into the coffee shop his heartbeat was nearly deafening in his ears. 

Dean was seemingly nowhere to be seen, maybe it was his day off or maybe his shift was over already or it was going to start later, and Aidan's heart clenched as realization dawned on him. He stared down at the floor defeated, feeling stupid for having really believed that he could just barge in and expect to find Dean, and he was almost about to storm out of the coffee shop when he heard _his_ voice. 

“Oh God, he's here!” Dean's voice sounded choked, and he had probably clapped a hand over his mouth right after the words had spilled out of it.

Aidan's head snapped up and he saw Dean half hiding behind a girl that was nearly as tall as Richard, and he couldn't help the enormous grin that spread on his lips, along with the butterflies wings flapping about in the pit of his stomach “Hey Deano!” 

Dean bit his lower lip and kept staying hidden behind his colleague “Hey you,” his voice was still sweet as honey, and Aidan could melt by just hearing that simple greeting. 

“What are you doing? Playing hide and seek?” Aidan furrowed his brows slightly, smile still plastered on his lips as he approached the counter. The girl looked back at Dean, apologies painted all over her face as she moved to wash a few mugs along with a couple dishes. That's when Dean's face was exposed for Aidan to see “Oi, what happened to you?” he asked almost out of breath, his eyes were almost the size of the moon. 

Dean gulped, tensing up visibly as he touched his bruised cheekbone “It's nothing. I woke up during the night to go to the bathroom and because I'm an idiot, I didn't turn on the light and ran into the doorjamb on my way out.” he tried to nervously laugh it off, but the fake amusement obviously didn't reach his eyes. 

Aidan didn't see the way in which Dean's colleague sighed and shook her head, but he didn't need that confirmation to know that Dean was lying through his teeth “Are you sure? Because it definitely doesn't look like you ran into something.” 

“'Course I'm sure, what the fuck are you on about?” Dean shrugged, and if he was an hedgehog Aidan would have seen him curl up in a ball to shield himself from the world. 

“Alright, alright!” Aidan blinked a bit puzzled “I just... Did the interview, and I wanted to see how you were doing.” 

Dean raised his eyebrows and nodded “That's cool and,” he licked his lips and looked down at the counted “it was really sweet of you but maybe next time you could tell me in advance when you're swinging by?” 

Aidan scowled at those words “This is a public place, I can drop by whenever I want,” he shrugged with a small smirk. 

Dean opened and closed his mouth because he really wanted to give him his own reason for asking that, but he couldn't, because it wouldn't have made sense. “Yeah well... That's right,” he sighed and shook his head in defeat. 

Aidan still couldn't tear his eyes away from the bruise “Dude, you might end up with half a black eye or something, that looks pretty nasty.” 

Dean's face paled even more and another nervous giggle tore from his throat, unnaturally “That's 'cause I'm an idiot, I told you.” he clenched his fists for a moment, then offered Aidan a sweet smile “Is there anything I can get you to help you refill your energy after the interview?” 

Aidan still didn't buy it, especially seeing how quick Dean was to change topic, but he still leaned with forearms on the counter with a wicked smirk. “Apart from your lips?” 

Dean blushed slightly but rolled his eyes “Oh God, not the horrible pickup lines again,” he tried to pull a face but only ended up smiling “chai latte alright?” 

Aidan pursed his lips, then ran his tongue between them “You know me so well.” 

If Dean's face could have flushed any deeper his nose would have probably started bleeding “Shut up,” he muttered as he disappeared behind the coffee machines to brew Aidan's order. 

Aidan chuckled and hitched himself up on a stool, eyes still glued on Dean, watching his every move. He did look at ease, blending and brewing and adding milk and sugar and all the rest, but Aidan had seen how Dean looked when he prepared for shooting, how passionate he was while decorating a set, or how quickly he could set the camera and crouched down to take a shot in the streets. He watched him suck in his lower lip in concentration and remembered that he used to do it too when he was in his darkroom while he carefully handled films as he developed his photos. Dean didn't belong behind a coffee machine, he belonged outside where he could be a real photographer and Aidan just couldn't see why he wasn't doing it. 

“Here you go,” Dean said as he placed a tall chai in front of Aidan with a small smile. 

“Thank you,” Aidan wrapped his fingers around the warm glass and looked up at Dean “when you got a moment I'd like you to take some photos of me, you know...” he cocked his head “Like the old times,” he smirked. 

Dean stiffened at that request and the smile slipped from his face “I don't know, I don't think it's a good idea,” he shook his head “I'm not that good, anyway and I don't have a place to–” 

Aidan promptly cut him off with an outraged expression “What was that? You're not that good?” he scoffed “Dean you're an amazing photographer! And if you don't have room at your place there's always my parent's house,” he shrugged “They're going to Clondalkin for the weekend.” 

By that time Dean's throat was completely dry and it seemed like someone had just punched him in the guts “I'm sorry, I don't–” he shook his head “That's a bad idea.” 

Aidan groaned “C'mon, is it because of Calvin again? I just wanna spend some time with you after all these years, I won't do anything to you!” 

Dean clenched his jaw and flared his nostrils “Aidan, lower your voice, I work here.” Dean's voice was cold as ice, and Aidan had never heard him speak like that “I told you that Calvin is jealous.” 

Aidan wasn't going to question that because he didn't want to upset Dean any further, but that seriously sounded crazy, it was like Dean wasn't allowed to even breathe without his boyfriend's consent and it only made him hate this guy even more, despite not even knowing him. “Okay, fine!” Aidan sighed “But you're still coming out to celebrate with me if I get the job, alright?” 

Dean sighed almost resigned “Fine, but not at night.” 

Aidan nodded “Not at night,” then he smirked softly “but it'll be a date for me.” 

Dean rolled his eyes and pointed at the latte “That'd be £2.” 

“Greedy,” Aidan scrunched his nose as he stuffed his hand in the pocket of his jeans. 

“You know me,” Dean winked, then cursed mentally at himself for hurting his bruised face.

 

 

_**To be continued...** _

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like this will have to be a little longer than three chapters, ugh, I write too much! 
> 
> I'm so happy that you're all liking this story so far, it's great! Thank you all for your lovely comments and encouragements!

Luke didn't call that day, not even later that night and Aidan had started to feel like a douche for believing that he could yet again obtain something just with the snap of his fingers. When Richard had called him to know about the interview he heard the disappointment in his cousin's voice and offered him to spend the night at the _Pace-Armitage manor_.  
  
"Serious? Do I bring Bailey, too?" Aidan asked with an arched eyebrow as he checked his emails.  
  
 _"Sure, and we're ordering pizza."_  
  
Aidan grinned "Spoiling me rotten, eh?"  
  
 _"That's only because we haven't seen you in_ so _long."_  
  
Aidan shut down his laptop and stretched his back "Okay, I'll take advantage of this period of kindness and love, then." he smirked "I'll get my stuff ready and I'll be there as fast as I can."  
  
 _"Good lad, see you later."_  
  
Aidan shoved clothes and his toothbrush into a backpack, along with everything else he might have needed for the night and the day after. When he was younger he had spent loads of nights at Richard and Lee's, they'd always been like another set of parents for him, only younger and that he could talk to about literally anything. Of course Aidan loved his mum and dad, but the relationship he had with the two men was just different, always had been, and his parents were completely fine with it because it had helped their boy a lot in his life.

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
Richard and Lee's house was warm and cozy, more homey than Aidan's, maybe because it was smaller and full of animals that pacifically coexisted with one another – mind you, some times they had to break up a couple small fights here and there, but that was kind of normal. Bailey seemed to fit perfectly in the group, no matter Rusty's first moment of diffidence, but soon enough dogs and cats were happily playing with their guest for the night.  
  
The husbands had a fondness for anything exotic and foreign, and that was why after dinner the three men were all gathered in the living room around the oaken coffee table, sitting on some old, colorful cushions as they inhaled deep drags of narghile from a waterpipe.  
  
"If he told you that the deadline is tomorrow morning you might still get the job," Richard shrugged a shoulder as he placed his left hand on the floor, shifting his weight on his arm.  
  
"I know," Aidan furrowed his brows and exhaled the apple flavored smoke through his nostrils, slightly bothered by the way in which it scraped at his throat. He licked his lips as he handed Lee the hose "I'm more worried about Dean."  
  
Richard and Lee exchanged knowing looks, they perfectly knew that Aidan's bad mood couldn't just be the uncertainty of not getting a job, of course it had to be somehow connected to a certain blond.  
  
"What about him?" Lee asked around the mouthpiece.  
  
Aidan seemed to be thinking really hard as small creases formed between his knitted brows, the only audible sounds were those of Jinx (Lee's precious Birman cat) purring in her sleep on the back of the couch and the water bubbling into the vase of the waterpipe. "I think his boyfriend hits him," he said at last with a pained expression.  
  
Lee choked on the smoke and Richard quickly patted him on the back as he frowned at Aidan "What makes you think that?" his cousin asked when Lee had finally stopped coughing.  
  
"His general behavior," Aidan shrugged a shoulder and looked down at his lap, plucking some cat hair off his jeans "and the nasty bruise he sported on his cheekbone, today."  
  
"He did?" Richard cried as he ran his fingers through his black hair "Shit. You should tell the police!"  
  
"Hold your horses, Robin Hood," Lee held up a hand and earned a grimace from Richard "These are delicate matters you need to be sure about."  
  
Richard scoffed "Right, and let the poor guy be beaten to death?"   
  
Lee glared at his husband "Don't be so morbid I–"  
  
Aidan cut them off with a groan "Guys, please!" both men turned to glance over at Aidan who let out an exasperated huff of air and scratched at the back of his head "I don't wanna butt in, I need to earn his complete trust and... Have him tell me what's really up with this Calvin bloke."  
  
Lee pursed his lips "He might never admit it," he shook his head as he added with a frown "he's gonna make up excuse after excuse."  
  
Aidan took back the hose from his hand "Well I love him," he admitted for the first time out loud, and man it felt scary but at the same time so damn good "I'll find a way."  
  
Richard couldn't hold back the proud grin that stretched his lips "I'm sure you will," then he cocked his head to warn him "just don't expect Dean to crack right away, it might take more than you think."  


Aidan nodded, a pensive expression still wrinkling his features as he took another puff of smoke, then finally looked back up at the couple "You started picking out baby names, yet?" he smirked as he passed the hose over to Richard. Knowing those two they probably lost hours worth of sleep just thinking about how they were going to name their child.  
  
"Well, it's still really soon but," Lee glanced over at his husband as a sheepish smile tugged at the corners of his mouth "we got a few, actually."  
  
Aidan's grin was all teeth as he laughed excitedly "Yeah? I wanna hear some!" Lee nodded towards Richard, leaving to him the job to list the names they had chosen so far. 

“We were considering Hayley, Alexandra and Gillian for a girl, and Christopher, Ethan and Liam for a boy.” Richard announced with a grin before taking another drag of narghile. 

Aidan widened his eyes “All of these sound awesome!” 

“I know, right?” Lee squealed. 

They spent the rest of the night speaking about baby names and how exciting but also a bit frightening having the baby was going to be, about how Aidan would have tried to settle for a job at the zoo or even at the clinic if at the moment he couldn't get one at Sea Life, and then he inevitably got sad thinking of Dean and how he had got that awful bruise on his beautiful face.  
  
Richard and Lee knew it wouldn't have been an early night for them, but still they had a clinic to look after in the morning, so they bid Aidan goodnight and left him around 1 am, telling him that his bed in the guest room was ready. Aidan didn't really sleep, too nervous and anxious about everything that was going on in his life and just couldn't help but text Dean in the dead of the night.  
  
 _'can't sleep 'cause you just won't get out of my head.'_  
  
Maybe he sounded creepy or desperate, but he didn't care. He wasn't expecting a reply and he didn't get one, not even in the morning when he actually got an answer from someone else.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"I'm in?" Aidan bolted up in a sitting position, startling Bailey who hopped off the bed and ran out of the bedroom.  
  
 _"We'll be waiting for you tomorrow, if that's alright with you."_  
  
"Sure, of course!" Aidan grinned and threw the covers off his lap to get up from the bed “Thank you very much, Mr Evans!” 

_"Luke."_  
  
"My bad, Luke," Aidan pursed his lips and remembered Lee's voice from last night telling him that if it didn't work out with Dean he could definitely hit on Luke, and he had to clap a hand over his eyes as he sat back down on the edge of the bed.  
  
 _"See you tomorrow, Aidan."_  
  
"Yes, see you tomorrow." Aidan hung up and breathed in deeply. He had a job and it was definitely a step up, all he needed now was Dean to be alright and possibly, _his._ Aidan opened up the conversation between he and Dean on his cellphone and sighed at the unanswered text – maybe he had been way too forward, still he had to send another message.  
  
 _'i got the job, btw. hope you're ok.'_  
  
Aidan dropped his cellphone on the mattress and leaned his elbows on his knees as both hands rubbed at his tired face. He had started being even more worried for Dean and now he didn't know what to do, maybe he should have checked if he was at work, or maybe he wouldn't have liked that? Fuck, why did it have to be so hard?   
  
Aidan drew in a shaky breath and decided to make himself some breakfast, since he knew that he was probably home alone. He did take his phone with him in the kitchen but left it on the counter as he cooked and scratched Bagheera (Richard and Lee's old and huge, black cat) behind the ears. 

Aidan did everything he could to keep himself busy and not think about Dean, he ate breakfast, fed all the animals in the house, took all three dogs out for a walk, straightened both the kitchen and the bedroom he'd slept in, then finally looked at his cellphone.

  
Four missed calls and three texts.  
  
Aidan didn't really have the courage to check who had tried to contact him, and crossed his fingers for Dean to be one of them.  
  
Two missed calls were from his mother, one from Richard and the other from Lee. There was also a text from Richard and the other two were from...  
  
"Oh Deano, thank God!" Aidan cried as he flopped on a chair and quickly texted Richard back to tell him that be was alright and he didn't have to worry, then he opened Dean's texts.  
  
 _'oh aid i'm happy for you! i knew you were gonna get the job. but i wont be able to go out with you this week. sorry.'  
  
'you usually answer so quickly... hope you're not mad at me. please don't be mad at me. miss you.'_  
  
Aidan's heart clenched and a nasty weight settled on his stomach, Dean was probably freaking out and his boyfriend might be asking questions and Dean could get into trouble. 

_'so sorry, i've been busy all morning. how could i be mad at you? it's alright if you can't go out this week, but i really wanna see you. you at work right now?'_  

Aidan only realized he had been holding his breath when he hit the send button and Bailey nosed at his hand. “I'm so worried about him, baby. I just wanna take him away from that arsehole!” he groaned as he scratched under the dog's chin. Aidan was starting to realize that all the negativity and paranoia that was now part of Dean's being was probably due to Calvin's abuse and it made his blood boil. 

_'god aid, it's so good to know that you aren't pissed off with me. i'm not at work, i'm home with a cold.'_  

A cold. Well maybe it was true, it had been pretty cold and rainy lately, so that could be legit. _  
  
'i'm sorry, love. hopefully you'll be alright soon. want me to drop by and keep you company?'  
  
_ Aidan already knew the answer before it actually arrived, and it was exactly what he'd expected. _  
  
'i'd love to, but it's better if you don't. cal could randomly show up, let's not risk it. but thank you.'  
  
_ Aidan read the text with a bitter smile on his lips and cursed the whole world for having separated them when they were too young and too stupid to understand how in love they really were. _  
  
'it's ok, just get well soon because i need to see you. get some rest now.'  
  
_ That text remained unanswered for the rest of the day, making Aidan sick to his stomach until he went to bed and couldn't even be excited enough for his first day of work the morning after.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He did check his phone all day long, even during work, when either Luke or Graham (McTavish's name, as Aidan learned that morning) weren't paying attention, Dean was M.I.A. and Aidan didn't like it one bit, but thank God for all the amazing creatures he got to meet that day.  


Aidan was already in love with his new job, of course he was sure would be, but having the knowledge that he was going to wake up every morning happy and pleased of having to go to work was a great thing and it eased the pain and anxiety of not hearing from Dean for three days now.  
  
Aidan was just feeding one of the newborn penguins when his cellphone buzzed and he nearly dropped the bucket of ground fish to pull it out of his pocket.  
  
 _'god i'm so sorry i never texted you again but i've been pretty sick and slept the greatest part of these days away. hope you're ok and enjoying the new job. xx'_  
  
Aidan's breath hitched in his throat and for a few moments he completely forgot about the chick that was pecking at the bucket and crying out to get his attention.  
  
"Lad, you with us?" Graham asked from under heavy, silver eyebrows as he took over for him and fed the impatient chick.  
  
Aidan's head snapped up and he widened his eyes ashamed as he tried to shove his mobile back into the pocket of his pants, missing it a few times "Y-yeah! Gosh, I'm so sorry, Graham!" he groaned as he let his eyes fall shut, a shaky sigh abandoning his lips.  
  
Graham looked every bit like a mean, grouchy man, with how he seemed to permanently frown, but truth be told he was one of the nicest man Aidan had ever met. "Hey, I'm not the kind of person who will scold you for using your phone while working, but you better be careful, eh?" he clapped a big, rough hand on Aidan's shoulder "You sure you're okay?" he cocked his head in concern.  
  
Aidan smiled softly and nodded "Yeah, don't worry about it. Just... Concerned for a friend."   
  
Graham pursed his lips, seemingly satisfied with the answer "I hope they'll be alright," Graham straightened back up "go back to work now, though. It's nearly time to feed the stingrays."  
  
Aidan furrowed his brows and stroke a hand over the chick's head before he stood up "Isn't Jimmy doing it?"  
  
Graham nodded "He is, but then he's taking you to feed the sharks." Aidan grinned at the news and nodded excitedly as he followed Graham out of the Penguins enclosure. The older man shut the door behind them as they shed their jackets, then nudged Aidan "Answer to your friend before you join Nesbitt." he winked and left.  
  
"Thanks, Graham." Aidan smiled softly before fishing his cellphone back out of his pocket.  
  
 _'if you're at work i'm having my lunch break there.'_  
  
Aidan typed as quickly as possible, then made his way to the stingrays tank and as he was about to open his mouth and call out for James, his mobile vibrated.  
  
 _'still home, but come tomorrow i'll eat lunch with you. xx'_  
  
Useless to say, Aidan wore a stupid smile for the rest of the morning and James was firmly convinced that he had got laid the night before.  


Aidan already knew that waiting until lunch time of the day after was going to be hard as hell, and no matter how much he tried to stay focused at work he couldn't help but catch himself randomly thinking about having lunch with Dean and fantasizing about kissing him, or nursing him while he was sick, but other times he'd think about finding more bruises and marks on him and that made him shudder in terror and disgust.

 

 

* * *

 

 

That night Aidan's parents weren't going to be home because they'd flown to Ireland in the evening, and Aidan had planned to order Chinese food, watch The Wolverine and have an early night, since he was exhausted and kind of sore from work, but his brain had other plans.  
  
Aidan had established the rule not to text Dean at night, or else he might have given him problems with Calvin, since he was so jealous, still his fingers itched to write him a message and ask him how he was doing and if he was thinking about him, even just a little bit. His self control was stronger, though, and he managed to resist, even though he kept staring at his phone every ten minutes while watching the movie, and when he went to bed he tossed and turned for what felt like a million years. 

When he finally fell asleep he was tormented by his biggest fears, and so he dreamed about Dean rejecting him none too gently, about Dean being beaten violently and mercilessly and about Dean slipping into a coma. Aidan jolted awake and Bailey whined and licked his face as she tried to soothe him, he didn't know if he was being over dramatic or if he was right to be that apprehensive, and either way he couldn't control his subconscious.  
  
"Fuck..." Aidan scrubbed a hand over his face and checked the time. It wasn't that earlier from the time he'd set the on the alarm, so he decided to let Bailey outside while getting ready for work.  
  
The morning went on painfully slowly, even if he got to witness the hatching of the tortoises, and even if he was trusted to take a group of visitors to watch Jimmy and Luke feeding the sharks. Still he was a professional and kept his focus on the various tasks of the day, until it was finally time for his lunch break and he bolted to go back to the lockers and get changed, until he spotted Graham and walked up to him with a request.  
  
"Hey! I know I've just been hired and maybe it's a bit too much to ask but..." Aidan chewed nervously on his bottom lip before breaking into a charming smile "could I please bring _that_ friend of mine here? He won't be a bother, he'll just follow me around."  
  
Graham scowled, pondering the request and rubbing his chin "Is he the friend you were worried about yesterday?"   
  
Aidan raised both eyebrows in surprise "Yeah, actually!"  
  
Graham rested both his hands on his hips "He's gonna have to be a ghost, I don't want him distracting you too much," he said with a cocked eyebrow.  
  
"You won't even see him! He's rather small too, I might just keep him in my pocket." Aidan grinned.  
  
Graham laughed and rolled his eyes "I trust you, Aidan. Don't make me regret this decision." he said in a still serious tone.  
  
Aidan placed a hand over his heart "I swear everything will be just fine!"  
  
Graham nodded and gestured towards the lockers "Now go, don't waste your lunch break."  
  
Aidan nodded, a smile still plastered on his face as he quickly went to get changed.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Aidan had genuinely thought that Dean wanted to eat lunch at the coffee shop or somewhere else, so he was a bit surprised to see the man standing in a corner just outside of his workplace, bag in one hand, cigarette in the other.  
  
"Hey, I–" Aidan was smiling but his eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.  
  
"Hi yourself," Dean smiled in return "How are you? You look tired." he frowned in concern.  
  
"Look who's talking!" Aidan folded his arms across his chest as he took in Dean's dark shadows under his eyes, he looked every bit exhausted. The bruise on his cheekbone was almost completely gone, but he still spotted another mark disappearing past the scarf wrapped around Dean's neck.  
  
"Well I've been sick, I told you!" Dean rolled his eyes "You're kinda rude today, you barely said hi to me."  
  
Aidan raised his eyebrows "I'm sorry, you're right! But..." he gestured towards the bag in Dean's hand "I thought we were gonna have lunch somewhere? I'm a bit confused, here." he shrugged a shoulder.  
  
Dean looked down at the bag "Well we will eat somewhere, just not in an enclosed space," he cocked his head as he explained "I want some privacy, and in fast foods and all the rest there are too many people casually eavesdropping."  
  
Aidan smirked "Just like you do?"  
  
Dean looked outraged for a moment, then hunched his shoulders "What's a bored barista to do?"  
  
Aidan laughed and shook his head "Okay, let's find a seat at least."  
  
Aidan insisted for them to eat their sandwiches not too far from the London Eye, so that he would be closer to Sea Life. He tried not to gush too much over Dean remembering that he hated tuna (and he did endure all the jokes about being a marine biologist and not liking tuna) but loved eggs, and that the egg salad sandwich Dean got him was one of his favorites, Aidan would have kissed him if he hadn't been afraid to scare him.   
  
When they finally took a seat on a bench, Aidan dared sitting as close to Dean as he could, noticing that the blond had only tensed up slightly before relaxing as their shoulders and legs pressed together.  
  
"So are we celebrating my employment, yet?" Aidan asked as he swallowed a huge mouthful of his sandwich.  
  
Dean was still scowling down at his own lunch and only raised his gaze when Aidan spoke "Dunno... I've got a boyfriend, so this can't be a date," he shrugged a shoulder "and you said that when we were gonna celebrate, it was gonna be a date for you."  
  
Aidan listened to him, squinting slightly as a small smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth "Are you sure this isn't a date for you, too?"  
  
Dean rolled his eyes and glared down at his sandwich all over again "Don't put me into difficult positions," he pulled at a piece of ham with his teeth and sucked it into his mouth "you've thrown me into a confusional state ever since you've come back." he spoke quietly as he finally decided to take a proper bite of food.  
  
Aidan chewed on his lower lip, the answer was both good and bad at the same time. "I'm sorry if I caused shit between you and Calvin, Dean." he sighed as he went back to eat.  
  
Dean seemed to jump slightly in his seat and he quickly pulled at his scarf so that his neck was more covered. "W-what makes you think that?" he stammered, clearly alarmed by Aidan's assumption.  
  
The brunet furrowed his brows and Dean's gesture surely didn't go unnoticed. He kept telling himself that it was none of his business, that they had been apart for too long to butt into Dean's life and try turning it upside down, but the other part of his brain told him that he had to do something, or at least try. "What's that bruise you just hid?" Aidan asked in a serious tone.  
  
Dean slightly shrunk away from him in a protective manner "It's none of your business," he said as he shoved the sandwich back into the bag, his stomach felt like it had just been twisted.  
  
"When the people I care about get hurt it actually is my damn business!" Aidan burst all of a sudden, and thank God he had managed to keep his voice down.  
  
Dean glared daggers at him "I haven't been any of your damn business for nearly five years, so shut up!" he widened his eyes just after spitting out those angry words, like he didn't really mean to say those things.  
  
Aidan froze, his heart was hammering in his ears and now food was definitely out of discussion for him too. He grabbed the bag and calmly put the sandwich back into it.  
  
"Aid, I–" Dean didn't even get to start as Aidan shook his head.  
  
"No, you're right. You're none of my business, I shouldn't even have tried to spend time with you," Aidan fished the packet of cigarettes from his pocket to light one up "you've got your own life now, a boyfriend," he took a deep drag and exhaled it through the corner of his lips "I shouldn't worry about how jumpy you are, how skinny and exhausted you always look, not to mention the fact that you don't like yourself anymore and in a handful of days I saw two horrible bruises on you." Aidan shrugged "You're right, I shouldn't care and I shouldn't worry."  
  
By the time that Aidan had stopped talking Dean was wheezing and he looked like someone had just punched him in the stomach "It's not–" he tried to speak but his voice kept cracking the moment he tried to open his mouth.  
  
Aidan screwed his eyes shut and hung his head, cursing his stupidity and complete lack of tact "I'm so sorry Dean, I shouldn't have," he shook his head "please let me–" he tried to reach out for the blond but he slid further away from him.  
  
"Don't touch me," Dean clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white "I-I'm always upsetting people, that's what I do!" he snarled through gritted teeth.  
  
Aidan groaned and shook his head "You're not, don't say these things!" he flicked the cigarette on the pavement and stepped over it.  
  
"Yeah, I am!" Dean growled and sucked in a shuddering breath "Especially the ones I love," he grimaced and then looked up at Aidan "and you were the last person I wanted to upset. I'm always upsetting Cal, too."  
  
Aidan's eyes darkened at those words "You didn't upset me, and I'm sure you don't upset Cal, either."  
  
"I do," Dean let out a shaky sigh and swallowed thickly "otherwise we wouldn't fight so much."  
  
That was it. At least he was admitting that he and Calvin got into lots of arguments. "Well... It can't possibly be all your fault all the time, love."  
  
Dean rolled his eyes "He has a right to get mad, sometimes. If he saw me here he'd get so pissed, and he'd have a point."  
  
Aidan scoffed "We all can piss someone off every now and then, it's only human to make mistakes," then he furrowed his brows "we're doing nothing, why would he have a right to get mad?"  
  
Dean let out a sarcastic huff of air and looked over at Aidan as if he knew nothing of the world "'Cause he loves me and he'd be jealous to see me with another man?"  
  
Aidan blinked, looking completely puzzled "But... We are doing _nothing_. Just hanging out."  
  
"He's too jealous, he'd be pissed," Dean shook his head and then buried his face in his hands.  
  
If Aidan had any doubt about Calvin being an abusive asshole before, he was definitely sure now. "Dean, this is wrong only if you really think it is," he wasn't a psychologist but he sure as hell knew that people should only ever do what it really makes them feel good "if you think that leaving and going back home is the right thing for you, then go. I will understand."  
  
Dean's shoulders trembled for a moment, but he sat still, definitely not willing to get up and walk away from Aidan. He took in a few short breaths, until they turned deeper and he consequentially calmed down a bit.  
  
Aidan licked his lips "Can I hold you?" he asked softly before making any sudden movement, and when Dean nodded with his face still in his hands, Aidan pulled him into a hug. "I feel so bad for having left you, Deano." he whispered as he dropped a kiss on top of Dean's blond head. 

Dean's fingers clutched on the front of Aidan's coat, screwing his eyes shut "Don't feel bad, please," he sighed "don't be any more upset than you are."  
  
"It's fine, dear. I just want you to be alright," Aidan stroked Dean's back "have you got to be home soon?"   
  
Dean shook his head "No, Cal will be home at night." he reared back to look at Aidan in the eye "Why? Haven't you got work, now?" he scowled, confused.  
  
Aidan smirked "A couple more hours, yeah. But you're coming with me."  
  
Dean widened his eyes "What?" he blinked "To work? What are you on about?"  
  
"Yes! If there's a cure for the blues, that's animals!" Aidan stood up and offered Dean his hand "C'mon, it's free and you don't normally get to pet and feed certain animals." he winked and wiggled his fingers invitingly.  
  
Dean stared at Aidan as if he was crazy for a few moments, then shook his head with a snigger "You're incredible," he smiled brightly as he took Aidan's hand and stood up, taking the bag with the barely eaten sandwiches with him.  
  
Aidan wriggled his eyebrows "I'm just really full of surprises."  
  
Dean rolled his eyes and followed Aidan.  
  


 

* * *

 

  
Graham had already told Luke about Dean, and they were both really sweet and kind to him, even if they had been very clear with Aidan – he needed to do his job as well as showing Dean around to keep him entertained and serene.  
  
Dean was indeed fine with just following Aidan around the enclosures, completely fascinated by the animals and how Aidan interacted with them. He had only jumped and clung to Aidan's side once, when they went to the sharks' tank.  
  
"It's okay, they're eating their food, don't worry," Aidan explained with an amused smirk and dared sling his arm around Dean's shoulders reassuringly "they won't jump out of the water to eat you."  
  
Dean shoved him slightly "Shut up! They're fucking huge sharks!"  
  
"Well he's the size of a sea lion, they could easily mistake him for one," James chimed in from his spot, throwing one last chunk of fish into the water before taking off his rubber gloves.  
  
Aidan pursed his lips "You got a point."  
  
Dean groaned and shrugged Aidan's arm off "Piss off, you lot!" both James and Aidan laughed.  
  
"Let's get outta here, baby seal," Aidan smirked and dragged Dean out of the room by his jacket.  
  
Dean walked with him mumbling out a "Jerk."  
  
Aidan sniggered "Zip up your jacket, we're going to Antarctica," he grinned as he stopped to get the buckets with the different kinds of fish he was going to feed the penguins with.  
  
Dean perked up, thrilled by the idea of getting close to the penguins. He had seen them at the zoo hundreds of times, but getting to walk into their enclosure was a whole different thing. Dean pulled the zipper all the way up to his chin and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he followed Aidan.  
  
The penguins were used to their daily routine, and being the most friendly inhabitants of the aquarium they always got really excited when someone walked into their _home_ , especially when they brought food along. Unfortunately, Dean didn't like how loud they were and for a moment he got really scared and hid behind Aidan with his hands over his ears, trying not to get a proper panic attack, and Aidan had to leave the buckets on the highest surface he could find to calm him down.  
  
"Dean look at me, it's alright, they're just happy to see people," Aidan cocked his head to add "and food. They're very friendly, they won't harm you."  
  
Dean removed his hands from over his ears and nodded "Okay..." he gulped and looked at one of the biggest males with a worried expression "That one's almost as tall as I am."  
  
Aidan bursted out laughing "Yeah, kinda." then he wore a pair of rubber gloves and grabbed one of the buckets to start spreading the ground fish all around "Careful not to slip on the ice, okay?"  
  
Dean nodded and tightened the jacket around him, shivering into the freezing cold as he watched Aidan work with a smirk plastered on his lips. When the brunet was done scattering food and watching some of the penguins eat, Dean saw him walk back towards him with a chick in his arms.  
  
"My little buddy would like to get to know the person I'm always telling him about," Aidan grinned as he brought the baby penguin closer to Dean.  
  
"Oh God, this poor little fella must be so bored!" Dean grinned widely as he tentatively reached his hand out to pet the chick's head. The small penguin cooed happily, flapping his small flippers as Dean scratched the top of his head softy.  
  
"He's a cuddle monster!" Aidan sniggered "Wanna hold him?"  
  
Dean raised his eyebrows "Are you sure?" he bit his bottom lip "What if he gets scared?"  
  
Aidan shook his head "He won't, just keep calm. I'll stay close to you, and everything will be fine," he smiled encouragingly as he handed him the chick.  
  
"Alright..." Dean sucked in a deep breath and held the penguin in his arms "Hello, there! Don't peck my eyes out, eh?" he stroke the penguin's head and all but squealed “He's so soft!”  
  
Aidan chuckled “I know!” he watched Dean cuddle the penguin with an adoring smile "You're gorgeous," he couldn't help but sigh out.  
  
Dean looked up at him "I'm not," he shrugged a shoulder and looked down at the penguin " _You_ are gorgeous, not me." he said as he stroked a finger over the chick's chest.  
  
Aidan cocked a brow "Who is? The penguin or me?" he asked with a crooked smirk.  
  
Dean bit back a grin "Both?" he raised his head to properly look into Aidan's eyes.  
  
Aidan hadn't realized how close they were until he found Dean's nose only a few inches away from his own. "I don't smell like fish, though." he whispered, practically against Dean's lips.  
  
Dean shuddered, unable to tear his eyes away from Aidan's "Right in this very moment you do."  
  
Aidan laughed softly "Only when I'm working," he bit his lip as he looked down at Dean's mouth.  
  
Dean's breath hitched in his throat, and before he could even realize it he was pressing his lips up against Aidan's, tentatively and soft, and Aidan would have never pulled back, if only the penguin hadn't started screeching like a little demon, startling Dean so much that if Aidan hadn't grabbed the chick in time he would have dropped him.  
  
"Fuck!" Dean cried and nearly slipped on the ice, holding onto Aidan's arm for dear life.  
  
"Easy!" Aidan kept Dean steady and then put the penguin back down on the ground. "Hey, you alright?"  
  
Dean nodded and let out a big sigh "Yes just..." he pursed his lips "I'm cold."   
  
Aidan wrapped an arm around Dean's shoulder "Let's get outta here, eh?"  
  
Dean nodded "Yeah."  
  
Neither of them moved and just stared at each other for a few more moments until they both leaned in at the same time to share a proper kiss, as Aidan placed his hands on Dean's hips and Dean cupped Aidan's cheeks. The kiss that had started out slow and unsure soon became deeper and needy, as five years of being apart washed through them, making them forget about the cold and everything else, until someone cleared their throat from somewhere near the door.  
  
"What'd I tell you about distractions?" Graham's deep voice scared them both.  
  
"Shit!" Aidan growled lowly "I-I'm sorry, Graham!"  
  
Dean was so flustered that he couldn't even speak, and he just made his way out of the enclosure as fast as he could, while both Aidan and Graham watched him.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry Graham, I–" Aidan started but Graham waved a hand to cut him off.  
  
"Thank your good star, because your shift finished ten minutes ago. I just came to check on you."  
  
Aidan's jaw dropped slightly before he let out a relieved sigh "Oh, okay... I'll–" he gestured towards the door.  
  
"Go to him," Graham smirked and moved to the buckets to finish feeding the penguins. 

Aidan smiled and quickly stepped out of the room to find Dean right outside the door looking equal parts devastated and embarrassed “Hey, you alright?” Aidan furrowed his eyebrows, placing his hands on Dean's shoulders in concern. 

Dean let out a choked sob and grimaced “Aid, I'm so sorry! The last thing I wanted was getting you scolded!” 

Aidan shook his head “It's okay, you didn't do anything bad!” then a smirk curled his lips “I actually wish you'd do it again...” 

Dean gulped and shook his head “No, not here. You weren't even supposed to take me with you, you could lose your job!” he cried, trying to put some sense into Aidan's head. 

“No one's losing their job, my shift has just ended!” Aidan raised his eyebrows as he cupped Dean's cheek and thumbed at his cold skin to soothe him “It's all good, okay?” 

Dean let out a shuddering sigh and leaned into Aidan's touch “I'm a horrible–” he would have said boyfriend, but Aidan's lips interrupted him with so much sweetness that his knees nearly gave out and he had to hold onto Aidan's arms as he kissed him back.

“Come to my place,” Aidan whispered against Dean's mouth as he rested his forehead on Dean's. “My parents are in Ireland.” 

“A-Aid, I...” Dean looked into Aidan's big, warm eyes and couldn't resist. He had missed him too much, like he had missed being treated in such a loving way, and in that moment the only thing that mattered was being with Aidan. “Yes,” he nodded “Okay, but I can't stay for too long.” 

Aidan nodded himself “It's okay, I'll take you home with my mum's car.” 

“Yes,” Dean had meant to start walking into the direction of the lockers but ended up pushing himself up on his tiptoes to kiss Aidan again, having already turned into a complete addict for his lips. 

“Get a room!” James' strong Irish accent made them break apart right away, and Aidan flipped him the bird when he wasn't looking. 

“Guess your house it is, then.” Dean commented sheepish, and Aidan nodded with a huge grin splitting his face.

 

**_To be continued..._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's very unlikely that people would just let Aidan take Dean to work with him after being hired for just a couple days, but let's pretend it's totally okay for the sake of fanfiction, yes? Yes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So last night I panicked and decided that chapter 4 wasn't good enough, then with some reassurance and encouragement I thought about it and it's just fine. The story is all there, maybe I could have added more details but some times the less you write the better, you know? I'm so, so sorry for those who found the chapter but saw it disappear :(
> 
> I'm still so happy and taken aback that you guys liked this story so much, and I wanted to thank you for all the support and your lovely comments, you're all great!

The trip to Aidan's felt like some kind of hazed dream, because both boys had suddenly shut out the world surrounding them and they couldn't help the smallest of touches and quick, sneaky pecks on the lips as they were constantly standing or sitting with people all around them.  
  
Those kisses had triggered something old and more powerful than any other feeling, stronger than fear, guilt and regret, as Aidan pressed Dean against the front door of his house and proceeded to ravage his mouth while Dean moaned and rocked against him ever so slightly.  
  
"W-we should get inside," Dean panted as he rested his head back against the door "the house!" he precised with a smirk that made both of them laugh.  
  
Aidan fumbled with the keys until he found the right one, then carefully swung the door open to reveal an extremely excited dog wagging her tail and yapping. "Oh yeah, this is Miss Bailey!" Aidan crouched down to cuddle her and she automatically dropped to lie on her side with a raised hind leg, so that Aidan could give her a belly rub.  
  
Dean chuckled and pushed the front door shut before getting down on his knees and thread his fingers through Bailey's fur "She's gorgeous! And her eyes are so beautiful!" Dean gushed as he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.  
  
Aidan glanced at Dean, a soft smile curving his lips "They've always reminded me of yours."  
  
Dean looked up at him and all too soon the border collie was forgotten as he threw his arms around Aidan's neck to kiss the air out of his lungs.  
  
Aidan laughed against Dean's lips, only stopping to lick at Dean's tongue and unbutton his coat to stick a cold hand up Dean's shirt, making him curse and flinch.  
  
"Arsehole, it's freezing!" Dean cried and suddenly looked both guilty and scared as he shrunk away and sat down on the parquet "I-I didn't mean to insult you, I'm sorry..."  
  
Aidan widened his eyes "What? No, no it's fine! Don't apologize!" he reached a hand out for Dean "It's alright, I'm not mad at you," he shook his head "I won't hurt you."  
  
Dean stared down at Aidan's hand "That's what he usually says too," he couldn't help but mutter, still not taking Aidan's hand.  
  
Aidan's heart shattered into a million pieces "Oh, Dean..." he frowned and pushed himself up on his knees "I swear to God that I will never hit you," then he repeated "Never."  
  
Dean sucked in a few deep, calming breaths, then took Aidan's hand, silently telling him that he trusted him, and let him wind his arms around his slightly trembling figure. 

"I know you haven't seen me for a long time, but I'm still the same dork I was five years ago," Aidan mumbled into Dean's hair "I'd never do anything that could harm you, love." he pressed a kiss to Dean's brow.  
  
Dean nodded and let out a shaky breath, then felt Bailey's cold nose prodding at one of his hands.  
  
Aidan smiled when the dog licked Dean's face, making him squirm and chuckle "She likes you, already!"  
  
Dean wiped his cheek and went back to cuddle Bailey "She's got your same taste in men, then." he smirked as he scratched the dog's neck  
  
"Making jokes, already?" Aidan grinned "You'd probably become partners in crime if I leave you two alone for too long." he threaded his long fingers through Dean's messy hair.  
  
Dean's head turned to Aidan again and he let his eyes fall shut as he relaxed under the soothing touch. "Mm, I could fall asleep like this," Dean chuckled softly, eyes still closed as he bit his lower lip.  
  
Aidan smirked "Well it's a house, there are beds. You can take a nap if you want." he said as he used both hands to massage Dean's head like one of his friends had taught him to (she was a professional masseuse, after all, no dirty thoughts... Well maybe they had fooled around a bit at some point, but it wasn't important) until Dean's hand went to grip at Aidan's coat and he let out a soft moan.  
  
"Fuck, you're kidding me?" Dean whimpered and sniggered all of a sudden "What are you doing?"  
  
Aidan's grin was so wide that it was a surprise his cheek muscles didn't tear or something "I know how to use my hands," then he realized that Dean could make some sad connection with Cal, so he added "to make people feel good." he shifted to properly sit down on the wooden floor.  
  
Dean moved to sit between Aidan's legs, enjoying the better angle of the massage "Well, if you fail as a marine biologist you could definitely become a masseur," he purred. Dean didn't even remember the last time he felt so relaxed and at ease with someone touching him, and Aidan could definitely tell.  
  
"But what of the poor Gentoos? They'd be lost without me," Aidan grinned as he moved his hands to massage Dean's shoulders.  
  
Dean arched his neck with another small moan "Screw the penguins, I need you more."  
  
Aidan's fingers stilled and he watched as Dean sat up straight again, visibly more tense, Aidan also noticed the blush slowly tinting Dean's fair skin. "You do?" the brunet dared asking in a whisper.  
  
Dean shrugged “I was just–” he stammered, not really sure about what to say "I'm just really confused," he nearly whined.  
  
"It's okay, I told you that you're free to do whatever you want," Aidan sighed as he rested his hands on his own thighs "I can take you home, if you want me to."  
  
Dean shook his head and placed his hands over Aidan's "I wanna stay, I feel safe here," he laced their fingers together and squeezed Aidan's hands almost encouragingly.  
  
Aidan nodded "Okay," he spoke softly as he dipped his head to kiss the flushed skin of Dean's neck.  
  
Dean's breath turned ragged under the work of Aidan's lips and tongue, but when he tried to remove the scarf Dean stiffened "Please don't look at it, please." he whimpered as his fingers clutched at the warm fabric.  
  
Aidan had nearly forgotten about the bruise "I won't, I just wanna..." Dean cut him off abruptly.  
  
"Let's go to your room, I just want the light to be off," Dean said simply and quickly, letting Aidan understand that he wanted things to happen, but at the same time he wanted his body to be concealed and that frightened Aidan.  
  
"Okay... Sure. Whatever you want." Aidan nodded and stood up, offering Dean a helping hand. If Dean didn't want to be seen with no clothes on that could only mean that he was probably covered in bruises, and that horrible feeling settled on Aidan's stomach all over again.  
  
Dean didn't let go of Aidan's left hand when they stood up and went upstairs, he kept clutching it even when they reached the bedroom, and Dean froze. "Oh God..." he breathed out as he took in the whole room in the dim light that filtered lazy through the curtains "It looks just like it used to."  
  
Aidan smiled and thumbed the back of Dean's hand affectionately "It does, eh?"  
  
Dean was only able to nod, because the memories and the emotions from the past had surged all the way back. They had made love there for the first time, on that very bed, and even back then it was on a weekend and Aidan's parents were away. Calvin didn't exist all those years ago, but even in the present, as Dean dragged Aidan to the bed, Calvin wasn't even a memory.  
  
Their clothes were on the floor before anyone of them could realize what was happening, their mouths were so hungry for each other, yet every scorching hot kiss was dripping with a love so strong and desperate that had survived through half a decade of separation.  
  
Dean had learned to dislike sex, it had lost appeal and meaning to him because it had stopped being a display of love and affection after a few months with Calvin, when he had begun to show his true colors. But in that moment, in that room, between those sheets with Aidan everything suddenly had a meaning again, he could feel it in the way Aidan kissed him and how his hands ran over his body with the care and devotion of an old lover, stopping when Dean flinched or hissed in pain whenever he accidentally touched a bruise.  
  
"You'll have to be honest with me, Dean," Aidan spoke against Dean's chest, his breath ghosting hot over his skin. "You'll have to tell me about Cal," he kissed his way up to Dean's throat.  
  
Dean arched his head back with a soft groan "Later," he gulped "let me enjoy this now," he wound his fingers around Aidan's curls and tugged on them to crash their lips together.  
  
Aidan kissed him back while his already lubed up fingers went to slick the condom he'd worn earlier, and lined himself with Dean's entrance, prodding and teasing right before pushing in slowly and carefully, relishing Dean's warmth and tightness.  
  
Dean encircled Aidan's neck with his arms and pressed his lips against Aidan's shoulder to muffle his groans, until he was completely filled up and his body adjusted to Aidan's presence.  
  
"You okay?" Aidan asked as he pushed some bangs out of Dean's forehead and pecked at his lips.  
  
Dean nodded "Yes," he gulped "yes, make me feel even better, please," he whimpered, and Aidan nodded and dipped his tongue into Dean's mouth as he started bucking his hips slowly but deeply.  
  
Everything was just so perfect that Dean's heart threatened to burst out of his chest. Aidan was gentle and passionate as he did all he could to make Dean enjoy every single moment of their lovemaking, holding him impossibly close, kissing every inch of his neck, shoulders and face.  
  
It had started raining outside, as if even the sky had got emotional and was shedding tears of happiness for them, and the sound of the raindrops hitting the ground and the window mixed perfectly with the sound of their ragged breaths and groans.  
  
"I love you, Dean," Aidan moaned as he thrusted a bit faster "I've never stopped," he added as he buried his face against the crook of Dean's shoulder.  
  
"Oh, Aid!" Dean sobbed as he curled tighter around the brunet "D-don't say that if you don't mean it," he moaned as he ran his finger up through Aidan's hair.  
  
"I-I mean it!" Aidan reared back to look at Dean in the eyes, even though he could barely see them in the dark "I love you so much, Dean!"  
  
Dean bit down hard on his lower lip "I–" he gulped and looked away.  
  
Aidan shook his head "It's okay, I know."  
  
Dean squeezed his eyes shut "No, you don't know."  
  
Aidan cupped Dean's chin "I'll understand if you don't feel the same." he was sincere, of course he would understand, even if it was going to break his heart.  
  
Dean huffed and rubbed angrily at his eyes "'Course I love you, why would I be here, if I didn't?" he cried, and instead of replying, Aidan crashed their lips together again, whimpering and going back to move within his lover. Dean never broke the kiss and brought both his legs up to wrap around Aidan's waist, bucking up against him as their moans and cries got lost into their mouths.  
  
They didn't know how long they lasted, and had no idea of what time it was and it really didn't matter. They were stuck into their bubble on cloud nine, and when they reached their release almost at the same time and Aidan pulled out to lie next to Dean, they curled up together as close as humanly possible as if afraid that one of them was going to disappear at some point.  
  
"I never wanna leave this bed," Aidan whispered as he pecked at Dean's nose.  
  
"I wish I could stay here forever, too," Dean's voice was starting to be filled with sorrow all over again, painfully aware that the dream was about to end.  
  
"You could, if you want," Aidan brought Dean's hand to his lips and kissed each one of his knuckles.  
  
Dean swallowed thickly "If only it was that simple," his voice cracked and Aidan's heart shrunk.  
  
"Dean, a person who hits you, a person that you're so scared of... That's not someone who loves you." Aidan didn't want to hurt Dean's feelings, but he needed to get him away from Calvin.

 

Dean held his breath as he tried to keep from crying, but it was so hard "But–" he gulped and licked his lips, buying himself some time and steadying his voice "he's not always mad, there are some good days," he tried idly to swallow the knot in his throat "when he's kind and sweet, and I know that he loves me!" Dean sucked in a shaky breath.  
  
A lump had formed in Aidan's throat too, but he needed to be the lucid and strong one in that moment. Dean was trying to convince himself that what he had with Calvin was still good and that maybe he still loved the man, just like Lee and Richard had predicted. "Dean, a relationship is supposed to have good days and the occasional bad ones," he sighed "not the other way around."  
  
Dean pressed a fist to his lips and for the first time he allowed himself to cry hard and desperate, letting all his pain, fear and sorrow pour out of him through hot tears as he sunk his teeth into the back of his hand.  
  
Aidan pulled him into a tight hug as he encouraged him to let it all out because he needed to, it was good to expel all the poison that Calvin had injected into him.  
  
"I-I thought he was nice, I thought–" Dean tried to speak between sobs, but they came in such violent bursts that they kept knocking the wind out of him.  
  
"I know, Dean. You thought he was a good guy and that you were the problematic one," Aidan spoke calmly, pressing his lips gently to Dean's forehead as he gently rocked him to and fro "He got you so convinced that you were the only cause of the fights that you started believing him." he added as Dean hid his face in the crook of his neck.  
  
"He-he used to mock me for wanting to be a photographer," Dean sniffled "said it was stupid and I needed a real job," he sobbed out. He wanted to tell Aidan everything he had never told anyone, but it was so painful to admit. "Th-the first time he hit me was because I came back home too late after hanging out with some mates," he rubbed at his forehead as he felt a headache starting to pound right behind it. "He thought I was fucking around, and I stopped seeing my friends. I-I haven't seen my mates and family in so long, j-just 'cause I know he'll lose his mind."  
  
Aidan listened to everything trying to remain calm even though a blind rage had started thrumming through his body. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down, and took Dean's teeth abused hand in his to stop him from hurting himself "Has he ever found out about me?" he asked softly, thumb rubbing soothing circles on Dean's palm.  
  
"It's not your fault," Dean whispered as he wrapped his fingers around Aidan's thumb "He saw me happier than usual, and when I came back from our lunch together it was later than usual... So he freaked and–" he gulped and Aidan cut in.  
  
"And the bruise on your cheekbone is the result," Aidan spoke low bitter, he was so full of hate and rage towards Calvin it was insane, he had never felt that kind of hatred before.  
  
Dean nodded in the dark with a whispered _'yes'_ , then took his time to go on speaking. "I was gonna text you a lot more than I did, but–" his voice cracked again, inevitably "but he caught me smiling down at my phone, and I had to delete everything as quick as I could, but he already knew." Dean swallowed a couple of times, still trying to hold back the tears that began to spill down his cheeks, anyway.  
  
Aidan was panting with rage, now he knew that Dean didn't stay home for three days because of a cold and it made him sick to the stomach "Can I see what he did to you?"  
  
Dean broke into sobs and squeezed Aidan's thumb "Y-yes," he agreed between hiccups. He knew Aidan and he trusted him, hell he loved him, and while a part of him wanted to stick with Cal, the other sought desperate help... And maybe even revenge.  
  
Aidan turned on the lamp on the nightstand, and the first thing he saw was the bruise on Dean's neck and he discovered that it was a violent bite mark turned into a brutally possessive hickey. Aidan's blood turned to ice when the mere thought of rape crossed his mind, but he didn't say anything. The duvet covered Dean up to his chest, but he waited for Dean to be the one to actually push down the covers and expose his abused body.  
  
Dean moved away the covers slowly, still a bit unsure of his own decision and so horribly ashamed of everything: his body, his weakness, his life and so on. His chest sported two more bite marks, smaller and lighter, he had sparse bruises on his arms, some looked like fingers that had held him so tightly they had left angry marks on his skin – well the fact that his skin was so pasty white and delicate didn't really help.  
  
"Oh fuck, Dean!" Aidan cried all of a sudden as he saw the huge purplish bruise that took up from half of Dean's ribs to his left hip, it looked nasty and painful, and he couldn't understand how Dean could go an entire day without lamenting any pain. "Why– what–" Aidan couldn't speak, too angry and distraught at the same time, and the only thing that came out of him were silent tears.  
  
"Cal doesn't like it when I groan about my injuries, so I learned to suck it up and pretend like nothing happened," Dean explained as a sob escaped his control.  
  
Aidan wasn't surprised to see how Dean had read his mind, but it hurt like hell to know all those inhuman things that Dean was going through "How...?" he swallowed thickly and wiped his tears away.  
  
"He pushed me and... I fell over, and in his blind rage attack he kicked me," Dean explained almost in a whisper "that's why I stayed home from work, he had beaten me so much that I couldn't get out of bed."  
  
Aidan wanted to scream and go looking for Calvin everywhere to kill him with his bare hands. He didn't even need to see any more bruises, those had been enough to have him sit up and run his fingers through his curls as he tried to cool down.  
  
Dean sat himself, grimacing for the pain that he didn't have to hide anymore "Please talk to me," Dean spoke softly, afraid of Aidan's disgust and rejection.  
  
Aidan looked at him and wiped a stray tear away from Dean's cheek "Why didn't you go to the police? Why didn't you seek help and endured this hell?"  
  
Dean looked down at his lap "Because... He apologizes after he hurts me, he turns attentive and kinda sweet and just–" he squeezed his eyes shut "I thought that he got so madly jealous because he loved me so much, and I thought I loved him too... When he was caring and all," he gulped and licked his lips "with time I thought about leaving him, but he'd threaten to kill himself or kill me, if I'd go to the police... So there were entire weeks of him being the perfect boyfriend to persuade me to stay, then everything–" he didn't even finish, as he waved his hand, because he had broken into sobs again.  
  
Aidan shook his head and wrapped his arms around him "You have to leave him, there's no other option." he cradled Dean in his arms, but the blond broke the hug right away.  
  
"No, I can't," Dean shook his head, then looked at the time and let out a choked sob "Shit, it's late!" he scrubbed a hand over his face and quickly stood up to collect his clothes, revealing a scar across his back that looked like he'd been belted a long time ago.  
  
"Are you serious?" Aidan widened his eyes and caught Dean by the wrist "I'm not gonna let you get yourself killed, you're staying here!"  
  
Dean got scared of the sudden movement and automatically yanked his arm out of Aidan's grip so hard that he ended up falling backwards on the floor.  
  
"Shit, Dean! Are you alright?" Aidan scrambled quickly to his knees to help Dean up.  
  
"Don't touch me!" Dean almost yelled as he backed away from Aidan "You're acting like him!"  
  
Aidan froze and let his arms drop to his side "I didn't..." he grimaced, so hurt by those words and ashamed of himself for giving out that impression "I didn't mean to hurt nor scare you."  
  
Dean rubbed at his eyes and slowly got back dressed, while still sitting on the floor "It's not so easy, I can't just disappear, it'll be worse."

Aidan threw his head back with a groan "I can't let you go just like that, knowing what he could do to you!"  
  
Dean gulped as he stood up to zip up his jeans "This time I'd deserve it," he sniffled and slipped on his socks and shoes "I cheated on him."  
  
Aidan hung his head for a moment as Dean's words sunk in, he didn't know whether to be hurt or disappointed "You wouldn't have done it if you loved him and if everything was okay," he spoke calmly as he slowly looked back up at Dean from the floor.  
  
Dean bit his lower lip "I-I became what he has always told me I was..."  
  
Aidan stood up and cupped Dean's cheeks, even if he flinched at first, but this time he didn't let go "Dean, you're not a slag, you just... You're broken and you deserve to be loved and treated right!" he paused for a moment as his breath hitched in his throat "And I love you, and I tried to do whatever I could to make you happy and you had a right to enjoy it."  
  
Dean looked down and let out a shuddering sigh "I'm not ready to confront him," he muttered to the floor "I'm too scared."  
  
Aidan sighed in defeat, he couldn't force him, Dean needed his time and Aidan was willing to give it to him "Okay, but you'll have to, at one point. He _will_ hurt you again."  
  
Dean whimpered as he suddenly wrapped his arms around Aidan's neck and buried his face into the crook of his shoulder "I love you."  
  
Aidan held him tightly, careful not to touch him on the bruised parts of his body "I love you too, and I don't want him to harm you." he placed a kiss to his temple and then added “Do you want me to take you home?” Dean nodded in response “Okay, let me get dressed, then.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Once they were both dressed and Dean had cuddled Bailey they were good to go, well not exactly good, but they had to go no matter what. The car ride was quiet and the air was so thick with tension that you could cut it with a knife, as Dean kept looking out of the window, fearing that someone could see him with Aidan and something bad could happen. 

Dean didn't want Aidan to stop right in front of his block either, just in case Cal might have come back from work earlier or anything, so Aidan stopped the car a few feet away from the building and turned to look at Dean. 

“I genuinely hope nothing will happen tonight, but if things _do_ get rough, please let me know, alright?” Aidan raised his eyebrows as he spoke, searching for Dean's gaze, but the blond was keeping his eyes lowered as he unbuckled himself. “ _Deano_ , look at me.” 

Dean sighed and looked up at him “If things get rough I don't know if I'll even be able to ask for help,” he gulped. 

Aidan frowned and chewed down on his lower lip as he thought, then jerked his chin in the general direction of Dean's pockets “Save an S.O.S. text in your drafts, you'll just have to press send.”

Dean furrowed his brows “I might not get to just press send, either...” 

Aidan sighed “Well just try, alright? Anyway, I'll check on you via texts, so if you don't answer for a long time I'll know something's up,” he shrugged a shoulder “how does that sound?” 

Dean had already pulled out his cellphone to save the message in his drafts, then nodded at Aidan's words “Alright, yes.” he sucked in a shuddering breath “I'm off, then.” 

Aidan pursed his lips and gave him a quick nod “Okay,” he leaned in to kiss him, but Dean turned his head away.

“Not here, please,” Dean bit his lower lip and stuffed his phone back into his pocket “sorry, Aid.” 

Aidan shook his head and raised a hand “No it's fine, I shouldn't even have done that,” he did lower his hand to squeeze one of Dean's though “Please, be careful.” 

Dean smiled weakly “I'll try,” he opened the car door and stepped out, quickly making his way to the front door of the building where he and Calvin shared a flat. 

Aidan kept his eyes on Dean until he was sure that he had stepped inside and then backed up the car and drove off in the direction of his house.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Aidan didn't even set foot past the threshold that he was already calling Richard to let him know about what he had found out that day. 

“ _Hello?”_

“Hey Rich, it's me. This a bad time?” Aidan asked more out of politeness than real concern, he needed to talk to his cousin regardless of what he was doing. 

“ _No, it's fine. How are you? You don't sound happy.”_  

Aidan let out an amused huff of air – Richard did know him way too well “'Cause I'm not.” 

“ _What happened, man? Wanna come over?”_  

“Yeah I–” he licked his chapped lips and then looked over at Bailey's leash hanging from the rack “Yeah I'll just come over.” he sighed and grabbed the leash, whispering to his dog that they were gonna go, and shut the door behind her once she'd walked outside. 

“ _Alright, we got beer and all. See you soon.”_  

“Yep, see you.” Aidan pulled the backseat door of the car open for Bailey, then hung up. “This is going to be a _looong_ evening.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Aidan liked driving, he could drive for hours just enjoying the surroundings and listening to one of his favorite CDs, but when he was so worried and the streets were kind of congested he hated being stuck in a bloody car. He checked the time every two minutes, wondering when it would have been the right moment to text Dean and check on him, but it was always too early, so he tried to at least wait until he'd get to Richard's. 

Once he had finally pulled over and parked, he let out a relieved sigh as he climbed out of the car and let Bailey out to let her stretch her legs and do her business after she being stuck in the house for the greatest part of the day. 

Richard had already opened the front door, having heard Aidan's car and also his voice as he spoke to Bailey “Hey there!” he greeted with a smile. 

“Hey! I really hope I'm not bothering you guys,” Aidan offered him a nervous smile as he and the dog made their way through the gate and the garden, where he decided to leave Bailey to play with Rusty and Rover. 

“No, it's all good. I wouldn't have invited you, otherwise.” Richard gave him a quick hug before they both entered the house. 

“Hi, Aid. What's up?” Lee gave him a worried smile and held him tightly as soon as he saw him. 

Aidan returned the hug, letting his eyes fall shut for a few moments before pulling back “I saw Dean today,” he began, then trailed off as he looked in the direction of the living room "let's sit down." he said and the three of them moved to take place on the two sofas. Aidan quickly checked his phone and sent a text to Dean asking if everything was alright.  
  
"You... Have a hickey on your neck," Lee noticed with a squint.  
  
"W-what?" Aidan put his phone back in his pocket, then absentmindedly touched the left side of his neck – he kind of remembered Dean's mouth on it, but he didn't think he'd left a mark. Richard and Lee exchanged smug grins.  
  
"You had sex! I can totally read it all over your face!" Richard clapped his hands together and laughed with Lee.  
  
Aidan groaned and hung his head "I was gonna get there!" he cried as he raised his gaze on them again "You just spoiled the whole story," he muttered with a glare.  
  
Richard scowled "Oh, I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to degrade the thing, just–" he shrugged a shoulder.  
  
"Go on, tell us everything, sweetheart." Lee encouraged Aidan and placed a hand on Richard's knee, a gesture that meant _'It's fine, he isn't mad at you',_ so that he could relax.  
  
Aidan sighed but decided to begin talking anyway "We met for lunch, and then I took him to work with me, so he got to do the whole special, private tour of the tanks and enclosures."  
  
"Aww, that's so sweet! It was a wonderful idea!" Lee commented right away with a bright smile.  
  
Aidan smiled himself and nodded "The last place I took him to was the Gentoos enclosure, where he got to cuddle one of the chicks and he was so excited!" by that moment Aidan's smile had turned dreamy, as he thought about Dean's happiness.  
  
"Ah, I did that with Lee, once. I took him to the zoo with me when I had to vaccinate the tiger cubs," Richard smiled and moved his hand over his husband's.  
  
"I loved it," Lee confirmed with a nod as he laced his fingers with Richard's "it's a beautiful thing you did, Aid. I'm sure he loved it!"  
  
Aidan cocked his head "Well, he kissed me," he chuckled softly "I'm pretty sure he liked it."  
  
"Oh that's wonderful! Yes!" Lee cried in excitement.  
  
"And then..." Aidan closed his eyes and for a moment he remembered about Dean's warmth, his taste, his smell and he wanted more, so much more. He came back to reality and opened his eyes to continue his story "He came home with me and we made love," Aidan smiled "it was so great, so... Passionate but sweet, it was perfect! It was–" he didn't even know what to add, so he just shrugged and let out a long sigh.  
  
Richard raised his eyebrows "Mate, you're so in love you're making Cupid uncomfortable," both Lee and Aidan chuckled at that.  
  
"I know," Aidan nibbled down on his lip "but then he fessed up. You know, we did it with the lights off 'cause he didn't want me to see his body." he grimaced and swallowed angrily at the lump in his throat. Aidan took a moment to breathe and calm down, then went on "He was bruised and scarred, and he probably told me only half of the things that Calvin does to him, and–" Aidan growled, mad and frustrated.  
  
"That fucking bastard," Lee snarled through gritted teeth "oh don't tell me he's back home with him!" he added with widened eyes.  
  
"Fuck, he's gonna kill him if he finds out what happened!" Richard shifted towards the edge of the settee, as if he was ready to bolt up and leave to rescue Dean.  
  
"Guys, I'm already as scared as I am!" Aidan put his head in his hands and tugged on his own curls in distress.  
  
"We can call the police, now. We actually _need_ to do it." Richard looked at his husband "We can't pretend we don't know, it's the right thing to do."

“Yeah, this time we're sure,” Lee nodded. 

“He said he needs some more time, and I respect his decision,” Aidan started, licking his lips “but I'm really afraid that Calvin will know what happened, he's always so paranoid that this time that Dean actually cheated on him he'll go ballistic!” 

“Of course he will, he's a psycho!” Richard cried, raising his hands in exasperation “You told him that, right?” 

Aidan nodded “Yes, I sent him a text asking if everything's okay, but if he doesn't answer in the next ten or fifteen minutes I'll know that something's up and I'll go to his house.” 

“Alright, that's good,” Lee placed his hands on his thighs and stood up from the sofa “I'll go get those beers, so we can kill those fifteen minutes.”  


“Yeah, I meant to take them but I forgot,” Richard rubbed a hand over his forehead. 

“It's fine, babe, I can do it.” Lee smiled softly as he made his way to the kitchen. 

Aidan and Richard remained silent as he waited for Lee, and Aidan couldn't really help the way in which his knee was bouncing up and down, and how his teeth were tormenting his bottom lip. 

“Here we go!” Lee placed the beers on the coffee table, but before anyone could reach out for them a beep and a buzz from Aidan's pocket made them freeze. Aidan grabbed his phone with shaky fingers and read out loud the single word written by Dean.

 _'help'_  
  
"Shit, let's call the police!" Lee cried.  
  
Richard stood up and pulled his cousin to his feet, because Aidan was so distraught and frightened that he couldn't even move. "We gotta go get him, yank him out of that arsehole's hands!" Richard placed his hands on Aidan's shoulders and squeezed them "Let's go Aid, I'll drive and Lee will call the police, I just need you to tell me where he lives."  
  
Aidan was drawing in as many deep breaths as he could, looking down at the spot between his and Richard's feet until his cousin shook him "I'm gonna kill Calvin, I'll fucking break his neck." Aidan growled lowly, and Richard and Lee shuddered because they had never seen him so angry in all his life "Let's go."

 

 

* * *

 

 

Aidan didn't even know how he had managed to tell Richard where was he supposed to go, but he did, it was like a part of him was still rational and useful, while the other had completely shut down, maddened by rage. 

“How do we do this?” Lee unbuckled himself and turned halfway to meet both Richard's and Aidan's gazes. 

“I go in, I think Dean mentioned living on the second floor or something,” Aidan wasn't looking at them in that moment, he was trying to scan the building and guessing which one could have been Dean's window. “You stay here and call the police, you tell them to come to the second floor. The door will be probably open.” Aidan opened the car door but Richard caught him by the wrist. 

“Aid, be careful. That man's insane, don't get yourself hurt.” Richard warned him with the most serious look he had ever given to him. 

“Don't worry about me, he's the one who should be scared.” Aidan assured with his eyebrows raised, then got out of the car and quickly made his way to the building. 

Aidan tried to figure out how to get inside, and the first thing that came to his mind was pretending to be a delivery boy, so pressed a random intercom button. His relatives had always told him that he had a natural talent for acting and that he would have made such a good actor, now it was the time to put those skills to good use and fool the lovely lady on the other side of the intercom to buzz him in.

Once Aidan was inside he could feel his heart hammering in his chest and drumming into his ears. He was scared of what he was going to find, he was afraid to face Calvin but at the same time he wanted to tear him apart. He sucked in a deep breath and took the stairs, climbing two steps at a time, trying to be as fast as he could, and once he'd reached the second floor he was breathless. He kept silent, ears perked up to try and hear even the faintest of sounds, and when he heard Dean's muffled cry of pain coming from the door on the left of the landing, his head shot in that direction and he all but hauled himself against it, trying to bust it open with his shoulder.

Everything happened extremely fast, Aidan was inside the flat, shoulder burning in pain as he staggered until he was in the middle of the small living room where Calvin had pinned Dean to the wall by his throat. 

Calvin let go of Dean for a moment, startled and definitely not expecting anything like that to happen. Dean coughed and slid down to the floor, his nose broken and dripping with blood. 

“What the fuck?” Calvin snarled as he turned around and Aidan froze, staring at him with widened eyes. 

Calvin was as tall as him, maybe a bit bulkier, but for the rest he reminded way too much of Aidan, with his dark, wild curls, the deep brown eyes and the slightly unshaven jaw. 

Dean looked between the two men as he pressed a hand to his nostrils, trying idly to stop the bleeding. “Don't hurt him!” he cried as he glared up at Calvin. 

“Shut the fuck up, you fucking slut!” Calvin growled as he kicked Dean in the thigh, earning a blood curdling howl from the poor blond. 

In that moment Aidan saw red. He stepped up to Calvin so quickly that when he realized that Aidan was in front of him he didn't even see the punch flying at his face. 

Calvin stumbled backwards and hit the wall “You fucking–” but he didn't have the time to say anything nor react, because Aidan had lashed out so violently that he had punched him straight in the nose. Calvin's bone cracked and he cried out in pain, but he did recover from the blow fast enough to smack Aidan across the face and punch him in the stoamch in a matter of seconds, leaving him to curl up on the floor groaning. 

“No! Leave him alone!” Dean shouted as he tried to kick the back of Calvin's knee, only making him angrier. 

“Is he the one who fucked you? Huh?” Calvin grabbed Dean by the hair, tugging sharply on them “What is it, eh? He's got a bigger cock than I do? Is that what you need? A bigger cock?” 

“C-Cal, f-fuck off!” Dean sobbed as his fingers dug desperately into Calvin's arm in an useless attempt to make him stop. 

Calvin pulled Dean up to his feet by his hair, only to hurt him “I'm gonna kill your little friend right now, in front of your eyes.” he shoved Dean back into the wall, then turned his attention back to Aidan that was back on his feet again. “Up again, you shithead?” Calvin arched up a brow. 

“You're done destroying Dean's life, so fucking done,” Aidan shook his head and spat blood on the floor. He didn't have to win a wrestling match or anything, he just needed to buy some time until the police would arrive, he just needed to hold on for a bit longer, just a bit longer. 

Calvin laughed and pointed at Dean who had managed to curl under the desk as he still tried to get his nose to stop bleeding. "That pathetic little slag?" he cocked his head "He's mine, and I can punish him whenever I feel like, you understand me?"  
  
"You son of a bitch, he belongs to himself! You only ruined his life!" Aidan tried to punch him again, but this time he got stopped right before Calvin landed another blow to his stomach. "Fuck!" Aidan cried as he lowered his head and Calvin slammed him into another wall, making a framed picture fall and shatter into pieces, the noise terrified Dean who sobbed quietly into his hands.  
  
"Now you're going down!" Calvin grinned and prepared to hit Aidan's face, ignoring Dean's shouting, when a different voice roared from the front door.  
  
"You there, let go of that man and keep your hands where we can see them!"  
  
Aidan, Dean and Calvin turned to see what was going on and found three police officers pointing their guns in Calvin's direction, he muttered a string of curses and let go of Aidan with a grunt.  
  
The only woman of the group stepped ahead and proceeded to handcuff him. "You're under arrest for domestic violence, Mr Craig. You have the right to remain silent and think about what you've done."  
  
"You bitch," Calvin hissed right before being pushed none to gently towards the other two policemen that dragged him out of the flat, but he did turn around one last time to threaten Dean "I'll fucking kill you, Dean!"  
  
"Mr Craig, insulting me and threatening your victim won't help your case!" the policewoman growled, and her colleagues yanked Calvin in the direction of the stairs.  
  
Aidan ignored everyone and quickly moved to crouch down in front of Dean who was still shaking and sobbing under the desk. "It's over baby, it's all over, I promise you." he tried to reach out a hand to wipe his tears away but Dean flinched and hit his head up into the desk.  
  
"Don't touch me!" Dean cried out loud and high pitched, starting Aidan.  
  
The woman placed a hand on Aidan's shoulder, offering him a sympathetic smile before crouching down and looking at Dean. "It's alright, love, really. My colleagues took him away, he won't hurt you anymore." the policewoman spoke softly and didn't make sudden movements "You need to get out of there, and then–" she stopped to look at Aidan, silently asking for his name.  
  
Aidan looked at her puzzled for a moment, then raised his eyebrows in realization "A-Aidan," he nodded.  
  
"Then Aidan will take you to the hospital, so you can get medical attention." she smiled, then added "We won't call an ambulance, nor have you sitting in the back of a police car, don't worry."  
  
Dean was still sniffling with his chin propped on his knees, arms looped tightly around his legs "I-I don't want other people to touch me," he sobbed and squeezed his eyes shut.  
  
"No one will hurt you, I promise. They'll just take care of you and check you for injuries," the woman started all over again.  
  
"I said no! I don't wanna be touched or checked!" Dean groaned as he shrunk back into the corner.  
  
"Dean you can't stay like this, he broke your nose and you might have more wounds," Aidan sighed "I won't leave your side, not even for a moment."  
  
Dean looked at him and a shiver shook his body "I didn't want him to hurt you," he whimpered and tortured his lower lip with his teeth.  
  
Aidan shook his head "Don't worry about me, babe. I'm fine," he reached out his hand again, but this time it was only to offer him help "let's make you all better."  
  
Dean hesitated again, then looked over at the officer "He said he was going to kill me, if I ever called the police on him," he gulped and wiped some dried up blood from his lips "I'm scared he'll find a way to do it." his voice cracked during the last part of his speech.  
  
"We'll make sure that he won't do anything to you ever again, Dean." the woman nodded, then stood up "I'll give you some privacy." she smiled and walked out of the flat, shutting the door before the nosy neighbors could get inside and ask questions.  
  
Aidan sat down on the floor and touched his aching face with a grimace "There's Richard and Lee, outside, in my car," Aidan began to explain "we could easily go to the hospital and get both checked."  
  
Dean pulled a pained expression "I'm too ashamed to show myself to them, I don't wanna," he whined and shifted uncomfortably, his body still hadn't stopped shuddering.  
  
"They're better than an ambulance and they won't judge you, there's nothing to be ashamed of!" Aidan shrugged his shoulder and then made a face "Ow!"  
  
Dean couldn't hold back the giggle that escaped his control.  
  
Aidan furrowed his eyebrows "What?" but his lips were curled into a smile, as well.  
  
"You bursted through that fucking door like you were on Bad Boys or something!" Dean kept chuckling, trying not to hurt his aching body too much.  
  
"I don't even know how the fuck I did it!" Aidan laughed himself and shook his head.  
  
Dean stopped sniggering and tilted his head slightly "You truly are my hero," he smiled weakly, because he was incredibly close to crying again.  
  
Aidan ran his fingers through his hair "I just kept my promise," he shrugged the shoulder that wasn't hurting "I told you I was gonna get you away from that arsehole, and I did."  
  
Dean let out one last small, tearful chuckle and finally crawled out of the desk and sat cross-legged in front of Aidan "I still can't believe you came back, out of nowhere while I was living this nightmare and–" he gulped, not really wanting to break down again "you just turned my life upside down in the blink of an eye, I can't–" a sob tore from his lips, making him roll his eyes "I'm so ashamed that you saw Calvin... He reminded me of you and–"  
  
Aidan shook his head and raised both hands "Don't, you don't have to apologize, nor justify yourself for that. I–" he pursed his lips "I had my share of blond, blue-eyed flings, during these years." he let out a hollow snigger, then went on "But no one was the right person, because apparently in the end... What I wanted and needed has always been you."  
  
Dean groaned and dropped his head "God, Turner! Australia turned you into a wuss!" he chuckled as his tears began to flow freely from his eyes.  
  
"Yeah, I blame it on the baby penguins, they softened me too much," Aidan grimaced, then searched for Dean's gaze "hey, look at me."  
  
Dean raised his teary eyes on Aidan with a sheepish smile "Let's go to the hospital," he nodded.  
  
Aidan broke into a bright smile "Yes, let's go. And then you're staying at mine, yeah?" he cocked a brow.  
  
Dean nodded "Yeah," he was only now starting to feel the pain of his broken nose and all the rest, as adrenaline had completely worn off "I wanna sell this place," he grimaced, then let Aidan help him up to his feet.  
  
"Sure thing, love." Aidan took a look around and spotted the kitchenette. He moved to the tap and soaked a cloth with water, so that he could wipe the blood off Dean's mouth and nostrils. "Can I?" Dean nodded weakly and let Aidan clean him up.  
  
Dean flinched and hissed only a couple of times and once Aidan was done, Dean reached up to brush their lips together, hesitating only because he didn't want to hurt anyone of them.  
  
Aidan smiled and pecked softly at his lips once more "Lee and Rich are waiting for us," he reminded him, gently taking Dean's hand in his and placing a kiss on his palm.  
  
Dean smiled and avoided to nod because he felt slightly dizzy "Yes, let's go," then he tugged slightly on Aidan's fingers "thank you."  
  
"Don't even mention it," Aidan kissed Dean's forehead and then escorted him out of the apartment and into the elevator.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Richard and Lee were extremely kind and nice with Dean, avoiding to ask too many questions and only making sure that he was alright and that he could wait until they'd reach the hospital, then left he and Aidan their privacy in the backseat.  
  
Aidan didn't make sudden movements and didn't touch Dean, until the blond stopped shaking and leaned against Aidan. He didn't complain once about his nose or his ribs just like he was used to do, not even when he got another mild nosebleed that they tried to block with a handful of tissues.  
  
Luckily they made it to the hospital after a couple of minutes, and it was a good thing that the nurses saw Dean's conditions and tried to have him checked as soon as they could.  
  
Of course Aidan went in with him, having completely forgotten about his own injuries and refusing to be treated until the doctor would have been done with Dean.  
  
The exam and medication took longer than normal, since Dean was so reluctant to take his clothes off and be touched, he flinched and let out some small cries every now and then when he got too scared or the doctor's touch hurt, but with Aidan holding his hand and whispering words of encouragement and love, the doctor was able to do his job.  
  
It turned out that Dean's nose was indeed broken and he had two cracked ribs, he had suffered a mild concussion but for the rest all the marks on his body were only bad bruises (even if both the doctor and Aidan exchanged a terrified look when they saw the scar on Dean's back.) The doctor would have wanted to keep Dean in the hospital to be more thorough, but when he saw the signs of the beginning of a panic attack in Dean's body language he just shook his head and told him he was free to go home after signing a few papers.  
  
Aidan's conditions were pretty much alright, he was going to get away with a couple bruises and scratches but nothing else, even his shoulder was fine, they both just needed a few painkillers and a good night of sleep.  
  
Since Bailey was still at Richard and Lee's and since the boys had had a rough evening they offered them to spend the night, even because Lee had his day off the day after, and he could have kept Dean company. After the initial anxiety and reluctance, the buts and ifs, Dean accepted, even because being alone was exactly what he didn't need.

 

* * *

 

  
  
When Aidan looked at Dean lying in bed, an hour and a half later he took off his blood stained jeans (making a mental note to try and wash it off in the morning) and slid under the covers with him "Have the pills kicked in, yet?"  
  
Dean tightened the duvet around him and nodded "Yeah, I feel all numb and sleepy. That drug works magic on my anxiety," he smiled dopey at Aidan and placed a hand over his chest "I'm so glad you made me save that text," he sighed, then scowled as a thought dawned on him "Fuck, he smashed my phone!" he groaned.  
  
Aidan frowned "Well, we'll get you a new one," he moved his hand to gently stroke Dean's hair "what matters is that you're free now, no one will hurt you again."  
  
Dean's fingers gripped the collar of Aidan's shirt "You told Calvin that no one owns me, earlier." Aidan hummed in response as he kept threading his fingers through Dean's hair. "But you do own my heart, that's fine, yeah?"  
  
Aidan's heart skipped a beat at those words, just like his fingers stilled through those golden locks "Is this Dean talking, or the painkillers?" he really couldn't help but wonder.  
  
Dean scowled up at Aidan "Dean, you dork."  
  
Aidan's cheeks would have definitely hurt from grinning so much if he wasn't on drugs, too "Well, you own mine so... I guess we're equal?"  
  
Dean smirked and took a deep breath, letting his eyes fall shut "Good."  
  
Aidan cocked a brow "Good?"  
  
Dean hummed and yawned "Goodnight?"  
  
Aidan groaned "Don't be cruel!"  
  
Dean chuckled and opened his eyes "You gonna kiss me goodnight, owner of my heart?" he grinned.  
  
Aidan rolled his eyes and kissed him gently, but Dean deepened it, even if it stayed slow and sleepy.  
  
"I love you," Dean whispered against Aidan's lips.  
  
"I love you, too." Aidan smirked and reared back not to hurt Dean's nose during the night, then they both drifted off.

 

_**To be continued...** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will be followed by a short epilogue that will give this story a proper conclusion. It might take a while for me to upload it, but I'll do my best :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still find it hard to believe that you really did like this story, it's such a hard, ugly topic and I hope I treated it with the right care and all the rest. Thank you all so, so much for being amazing, for all your comments and the support you gave me, you're all really lovely and sweet and I couldn't ask for more. Now, with this epilogue, I hope to give the right ending to the boys, and I hope you guys will enjoy it as much as you enjoyed the rest of the story. Thank you again :)

The night of the fight Dean had a good, dreamless, deep sleep thanks to the painkillers, when he was with Calvin he could never get any proper rest because he could basically never relax. 

There were many things that usually kept him up, some nights Calvin would randomly wake up horny, so he'd wake Dean up demanding to have sex even if the poor boy was fast asleep and exhausted; other times Dean would be startled awake by nightmares, may them be memories from Calvin's abuse or related to his family and friends hating him or dying, or other monsters created by his mind – a few times he'd dreamed about Aidan, too; certain nights he would be too scared to fall asleep, having Calvin so close, especially after a beating, and not even crying quietly into the pillow helped; some other times the physical pain of the abuse was too strong to let him sleep, but Calvin hated when Dean whined, so he had to keep his mouth shut and cope.  
  
The morning after the fight, when Aidan woke up to go to work, Dean woke up too, suddenly, confused on where he was and starting to sob uncontrollably due to a panic attack.  
  
"Baby, baby it's okay, look at me. Breathe," Aidan sat on the bed in front of Dean but didn't touch him.  
  
"W-why am I here? I-I-I–" Dean's breath caught in his throat as he tried to speak.  
  
Aidan grabbed Dean's hands and rubbed circles on their backs with his thumb "Focus on my fingers on your hands and calm down, you're perfectly safe. Calvin's in jail, you got a broken nose and a couple cracked ribs," he spoke gently and slowly to try and bring Dean back to reality, and it seemed to be working.  
  
Dean focused on the contact and his breathing steadied more and more as he listened to Aidan's voice "W-we're at Richard's?" he asked, his voice was still broken, but he was getting better and he was starting to remember.  
  
Aidan nodded "Yes, love, that's right," he smiled proud and encouraging "We went to the hospital last night, you're confused because we both took some painkillers."  
  
Dean frowned, he could start to feel his nose and side hurt after being numbed out for the whole night "I'm..." he sighed "Are you leaving?" he suddenly realized as he saw him fully clothed.  
  
Aidan nodded "I got work, but Lee's staying home, you're not alone."  
  
Dean grimaced "I-I'm too embarrassed, I don't..." he groaned and nearly started hyperventilating again.  
  
"No, no baby, you're fine. Lee is a great person, he won't ask questions, he will just be around if you need help," Aidan brought Dean's hands to his lips and kissed them softly "You're not forced to talk, but you won't be alone if you get scared."  
  
Dean listened, and no matter how anxious and ashamed he felt, knowing that he wouldn't have been alone while Aidan was at work was a great relief. "Okay..." he drew in a few small, shuddering breaths, trying to calm down as much as he could.  
  
Aidan kept pressing soft kisses to Dean's knuckles "That's it, hun. Deep breaths."  
  
Dean let his eyes fall shut as his breaths slowly turned deeper and deeper, and he relaxed. "Are you gonna come back late?" he asked in a small voice that had Aidan's heart shrink.  
  
"No baby, I won't," Aidan reassured him, then raised his eyebrows "You can borrow Lee's cellphone and text me, eh?" he smiled softly "Then I'll call you during lunch break."  
  
Dean broke into a small smile "Alright..."  
  
Aidan pointed at the box of painkillers and the glass of water on the nightstand "You can take a pill and get some more sleep, if you'd like."  
  
Dean nodded slightly, as his head started hurting along with his nose "I think I will, yeah."  
  
"Good," Aidan smiled "a little kiss before I go to work?" he arched a brow.  
  
"Needy," Dean would have grimaced if his face didn't hurt, but he still leaned in to kiss Aidan.  
  
Aidan let out a blissful smile and stood up "Sleep well. Text me when you wake up, yeah?"  
  
Dean turned to take a pill, then nodded at Aidan "I will. Have a nice day at work."

 

 

* * *

 

  
Turned out that Aidan and Dean stayed at Richard and Lee's for more than week before moving back to Aidan's parents, because Dean needed his time to get better and get used to the idea of meeting the Turners after all that time, especially in his conditions. Eventually, when they were finally ready, and Dean had got back on track with his job, the old apartment had been sold and everything, they moved together in a small, cozy flat not too far from Richard and Lee's house, less than a month and a half after the whole Calvin incident.

Speaking of Calvin, he might have been history but his ghost still haunted Dean and probably would have for a long, long time, but he was strong and determined thanks to Aidan's help and patience. 

Dean still panicked sometimes, afraid that Aidan might have got tired of him and his issue and leave him, or maybe turn violent all of a sudden just like Cal did, but Aidan did everything he could to make him feel safe and loved, even if it wasn't easy.  
  
Dean still had nightmares, even if they'd started to be less frequent, but his subconscious couldn't really be kept under control. Sometimes he'd be scared to fall asleep, but Aidan would hold him in his arms and whisper sweet, soothing nothings until they both drifted off.  
  
Dean still jumped at loud noises and hated people fighting and shouting with a passion, they threw him into panic and it wasn't easy to calm down when he was alone, even though he was rarely alone now.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Dean could sometimes get really uncomfortable about sex, not because he didn't like doing it with Aidan, but because he got flashbacks about things that Calvin did to him and he'd rather not remember.  
  
One night they were really into it, they had gone out for a ridiculously romantic dinner and when they'd got back home they simply couldn't pull away from one another as they made out. When they were finally naked in bed, and Aidan had disappeared under the covers to take Dean in his mouth, the blond threw the covers away and tried to stop Aidan.  
  
"No don't! Please don't!" Dean cried.  
  
Aidan reared back, scared "What is it, babe? Did I hurt you?"  
  
Dean shook his head "N-no it's just–" he pressed his fingers against his eyes, frustrated "Don't do it! I don't feel like returning the favor 'cause..." he cursed at himself and covered his face with both hands.  
  
"Hey, hey," Aidan frowned and moved his hands away "I don't want you to do to me anything you're uncomfortable with, I don't care if you don't wanna." he kissed Dean's lips softly "It's okay."  
  
Dean let out a shuddering sigh "I'm damaged goods. Sorry you gotta cope with me."  
  
Aidan rolled his eyes "I'm damn lucky to have you," he kissed Dean's lips again.  
  
Dean kept silent for a moment, then decided to let it out "He used to force me to suck him off... And most of the times he'd–" he grimaced, feeling angry tears burning in the corner of his eyes "he'd hump my throat and gag me, and got mad or just ignored me if I tried to make him stop."  
  
Aidan pulled Dean into a hug and kissed the side of his head "I'm so sorry, love," he gulped, feeling awful for Dean "that bastard..." he growled lowly.  
  
Dean clung tightly to his boyfriend, feeling safe in his arms no matter what. "I know you won't do that but–" he sighed.  
  
Aidan pulled back to stroke Dean's cheek "It's alright, hun. We can stop if you want."  
  
Dean shook his head "No, but... Just don't do that," he frowned "not yet."  
  
"Okay, baby," Aidan nodded and kissed Dean, his hand reached between their stomachs to stroke Dean back to full hardness "This okay?"  
  
Dean moaned and nodded "More than okay," he smiled and crashed his lips against Aidan's.

 

 

* * *

 

 

When all the bruises and injuries were gone, Dean decided that it was time to reconcile at least with his family, because he knew that the few friends he had made during university didn't care much for him, especially after he had disappeared, but his family was different. 

He called up his mom and proceeded to cry over the phone with her for nearly an hour, and when they hung up, Dean informed Aidan that they had been invited to spend the weekend at his parents'. 

The O'Gormans felt guilty for not understanding how in trouble their son had been, he had always phoned and Skyped them whenever he got the chance, but never took the time to actually hang out with them, not even for a cup of coffee, because Calvin was too jealous. Brett had always told his parents that something was off, that Dean had changed, Vicky and Lance did agree on the fact that their older son had sounded and looked different, sometimes a bit sad, even if he had a smile plastered on his face, still they were angry and hurt because he never visited. Everything was clear now, and they were horrified and heartbroken to hear the truth. 

“You're like a Godsend, Aidan.” Vicky shook her head and leaned her hand over Aidan's, while they were still talking at the dinner table. 

“I'm not, Mrs O'Gorman,” Aidan smiled sheepish and looked down at his empty cup of coffee. 

“You are! You came back when things were getting too rough for our son, and you saved him from that awful guy.” Vicky insisted, grimacing just thinking about Calvin. 

“I've told him that he's my hero many times, but he's modest,” Dean joked as he bumped his shoulder into Aidan's with a smirk.

Aidan rolled his eyes “I just did what my heart told me to do,” he shrugged his shoulder “I mean, I wanted to get him away from that ars–” he bit his tongue, not really wanting to swear, and all the O'Gorman men laughed. 

“It's fine, lad. Swear all you want, especially if it's about that motherfucker,” Lance grunted, his Kiwi accent was still thick, no matter how many years had passed since his family had settled down in England. 

“Lance!” Vicky rolled her eyes “But yes, he needs to rot in hell after all he put my baby through.” her voice cracked, but she tried to keep her composure and nodded at Aidan, encouraging him to continue speaking. 

Dean held his mother's hand and kissed it “I'm fine now, mum. I've never been happier, I swear.” Vicky didn't say anything, she just leaned close to her son and held him tightly, pressing a kiss to his temple. 

Aidan's heart warmed as he watched them, a smile curling his lips, it was great to finally see Dean getting along with his family again “This is another reason why I wanted Dean to be free from _the motherfucker_ ,” Lance and Brett chuckled at the new nickname for Calvin.

“We'll probably never thank you enough,” Lance clapped a hand on Aidan's shoulder, squeezing it affectionately. 

“There's no need to, I only did what was right.” Aidan nodded, even if he couldn't really help but feel incredibly proud of himself. 

“Dude, you're officially my _superhero_ , so you better accept it.” Brett chimed in with a smirk that looked way too much like his brother's. 

Aidan sighed in defeat “Alright, but I don't wanna wear a costume,” then he paused and looked at Dean “even though I'd look good in a cape, wouldn't I?” 

Dean raised his eyebrows and nodded “Yeah, why not?” 

“Capes are out of date and dangerous, haven't you watched The Incredibles?” Brett scoffed in a disbelieving tone “Alright, you're officially downgraded to regular hero.” 

Everyone laughed at that, and while the two brothers and Aidan started a banter about their knowledge of superheroes Vicky and Lance stood up to start collecting the dishes, and when Aidan and Dean offered to do the wash up they were told to take it easy because they were special guests. 

“But I grew up here!” Dean protested with a deep scowl. 

“Yeah, but you two are like guest starts, because Aidan is a hero and you're the son that has been missing for years.” Lance explained, then looked over at Brett “You, though, you come wash the dishes with us and leave these two poor souls alone.” 

“But we're talking!” Brett cried as he collapsed against the back of the chair. 

“You'll talk tomorrow, now c'mon. Chop, chop!” 

Brett glared daggers at his parents as they disappeared into the kitchen, then turned to look at Aidan and Dean that had stood up to go to Dean's old room “Oi, you two,” both boys turned to look at him “don't be too loud because I'll be sleeping next door.” 

Dean threw an empty plastic bottle at him and dragged his laughing boyfriend upstairs.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Nearly eight months had passed from that fatal night, and Dean had found a new, exciting job at the zoo (thanks to Richard) as a photographer for the visitors, but he also got to take the photos that were going to be used on postcards, calendars, posters and all the gadgets sold in the shops. He'd also been hired to help cleaning a few of the enclosures and prepare meals for some animals. It wasn't exactly being a National Geographic reporter, but it sure as hell was a start! Better than the coffee shop, for sure. 

It was apparently an evening like all the others, when Aidan went to pick Dean up from work, Dean had waited for him by the entrance as he chatted with his colleague and best friend Jared – boy, Dean had had such a hard time believing that anyone else other than Aidan could like him, especially after years of having no one other than his abusive boyfriend.  
  
"Charming's here," Jared smirked and nudged Dean's foot with his.  
  
"You're so funny, Turner." Aidan rolled his eyes even though he was smiling.  
  
"Very much so, Turner." Jared teased, stuffing his hands into his pockets.  
  
Aidan and Jared really did like each other, and the fact that they had the same last name was extremely hilarious to them, they had often joked about Dean's fascination with Turners and no matter the endless teasing they were good friends, indeed and Dean couldn't be happier.  
  
"Leave my prince alone," Dean chuckled as he slung an arm around Aidan's neck "hi, babe!" he kissed him.  
  
"Hi, princess," Aidan grinned before kissing him back, then looked over at Jared "I'm sorry mate, we can't stay to talk. I have to take Dean somewhere."  
  
Jared pursed his lips and shrugged "That's fine, man. I gotta go pick my girlfriend up, anyway."  
  
Dean on his part, was completely oblivious to what Aidan was on about, he didn't remember they had anything to do other than having dinner at Richard and Lee's "What? Where are you taking me?" he scowled up at him.  
  
Aidan grinned "That's a surprise!"  
  
Jared sniggered "Sounds important, I'd better leave you guys to it," then he leaned in to whisper into Dean's ear "text me about it later?"  
  
Dean scoffed and shoved him away, a soft shade of pink tinting his cheekbones and ears "Just go!"  
  
Jared laughed and gave Aidan a small nod "See ya, Turner."  
  
"Bye!" Aidan shook his head with a smile as he watched Jared leave "Shall we go?" he offered Dean his arm, the blond did furrow his eyebrows but linked their arms together anyway.  
  
During their walk Aidan tried to make some weird small talk that Dean found incredibly out of character and awkward, and whenever he tried to ask what was up with him Aidan would break in one of his enormous grins and shrug it off. Soon enough they arrived to Camden and Dean was sure they would have gone to take the tube, but apparently they kept walking down the road.  
  
"I thought we were supposed to have dinner at Rich and Lee's?" Dean said, confused as ever as he followed Aidan in the direction of Camden Lock.  
  
Aidan shrugged "Looks like we're gonna be late," he smirked and suddenly stopped, as if an invisible force had rooted him to the pavement.  
  
Dean felt himself being pulled back, so he turned to glare at Aidan "What the fuck?"  
  
Aidan smirked, and like he had done months ago he asked "Do you know where we are?"  
  
Dean scoffed and then took a look around "We're..." then he stiffened in realization "Where we first kissed, but-" he looked at Aidan's smug expression and rolled his eyes "Will you stop making that face?" he groaned, exasperated.  
  
Aidan looked extremely pleased with Dean's reaction, as if he wasn't expecting anything else "That depends, will you marry me?"  
  
Dean's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as his jaw dropped, and all he could do was stammer incoherently. "W-what are y-? But whe-?" he started breathing heavily, freaking out for the unexpected proposal. It's not that he didn't want to marry Aidan, but... Fuck, he hadn't seen that coming!  
  
Aidan knew that might have been one of Dean's reactions, so he didn't really panic and just took Dean's hands in his "Hey, listen to me. First of all, I want you to breathe," Aidan had started to become very good and relaxed when it came to soothe Dean's panic "second, we don't have to like get married within next week, or month, we can get married in a year or even two, as long as you're comfortable and ready!" Aidan explained with a warm, encouraging smile.  
  
"I-it's not that I don't wanna marry you, just–" Dean's lungs failed him, and he had to take in a couple deep breaths "God, fuck these attacks, man!"  
  
Aidan frowned and rubbed circles on Dean's hands "It's all good, take your time," Aidan nodded slowly, then pushed one of his hands into the pocket of his jacket to fish out a small, velvety box "but if you do say yes you can have this!" a smug smirk curved his lips as he clicked the box open and revealed a thick band of white gold with a thin, black line in the middle.  
  
The ring was a huge trigger that pushed Dean over the edge and had him burst into sobs as he covered his face with both hands, unable to stop and do anything else.  
  
Aidan, being equal part a really patient and sweet boyfriend, but also a little shit, cocked his head and had the nerve to ask "Was the proposal really bad, or is this just a really ugly ring?"  
  
Dean lifted his head and glared at him "Shut up, idiot! You're not funny!" he growled as a few fat tears rolled down his eyes and dripped off his chin.  
  
Aidan laughed softly and cupped Dean's cheek to pull him into a teary, salty kiss "I love you," he whispered against his lips, then thumbed his tears away.  
  
Dean shivered and shut his eyes for a moment and nod "Yes, I wanna marry you," he smiled, but couldn't help the sob that escaped his lips.  
  
Aidan cried out in happiness and held Dean so tight that he lifted him off the floor as they both laughed and a few people around them catcalled and yelled out their congratulations, along with the people who shook their heads and cursed under their breaths because man shall not lie with man and all that crap.  
  
"Stop, stop!" Dean chuckled as Aidan twirled him around like a ballerina, nearly making him topple over. "Stop! You're gonna fling this somewhere!" Dean bit his lower lip as he took the small box from Aidan's hand and examined the ring. "I... Thought I was never even gonna turn twenty five with Calvin," he gulped and looked up into Aidan's big, bright eyes "then you show up after all this time, save me from Calvin and now ask me to marry you."  
  
Aidan smiled and pulled the ring out of the box to take Dean's left hand and slowly push the ring on his finger "Life's weird like this, one moment you're lower than rock bottom and the next someone picks you up to glue yourself back together," he shrugged as both he and Dean stared down at Dean's hand in wonder.  
  
"You're a poet, too," Dean smirked and dried his tears with the back of his right hand "God, Jared will laugh so hard at all this!"Aidan groaned and dropped his head as Dean sniggered and chucked him under the chin "It's better that you wanna wait, though... We shouldn't steal Richard and Lee's thunder."  
  
Aidan arched up an eyebrow "You're right! And we could always wait for Lexie to grow up and fetch us the rings during the ceremony!"  
  
Dean grinned at the image of a toddler version of their newborn niece trotting down an isle in a dress, holding a silky pillow with the wedding bands placed atop. "I thought you'd want Bailey to do that," he cocked a brow "she'll be jealous."  
  
Aidan seemed taken aback by that suggestion, so he thought about it for a moment "Bailey will be sitting next to me at the altar, then," he nodded, satisfied with this solution.  
  
Dean sniggered and stuck both hands in the back pockets of Aidan's jeans "Sounds like a plan, to me," he smiled up at him "this is the last thing I thought that could have happened today!" he snickered and pecked at Aidan's lips.  
  
Aidan kissed him back, then broke into a grin "Like when I walked into your work place eight months ago?"  
  
Dean nodded "Yes, just like that day," he licked his own lips "I love you."  
  
"I love you, too." Aidan pulled him into a deep, slow kiss, then rested his forehead against Dean's "We should go and tell the Queens the news, now."  
  
Dean laughed and nodded "Yes, let's go."  
  
And if in that moment, as they walked towards the tube station hand in hand and freshly engaged, Dean couldn't believe the way in which his life had turned around, he surely would have been stunned when in four years time he would have embarked on Aidan's first official field research on great white sharks as a photo reporter, just like they had dreamed. But that's just how incredible and unpredictable life can be, because after the storm the sun comes out, brightening the day and drying the rain and Aidan was Dean's warm, beautiful, shining sun that dried his tears away and helped him bloom back to life.

 

* * *

 

_And now you save love again_  
To feel the rays, love again  
The sweet delays love again  
To shoot the breeze, love again 

**This Will Make You Love Again ; IAMX**

 

_**The End.** _

  


 


End file.
